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Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as Manchester City recorded a 5-0 win over West Ham United on the opening weekend of the 2019-20 Premier League season.

It was yet another terrific performance from the 24-year-old, who has now netted four times in two appearances this term following his effort against Liverpool in the Community Shield last weekend.

Sterling scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s side during the 2018-19 campaign.

But he looks capable of beating that total this time around.

And a number of Manchester United fans have taken to social media to comment on the England international.

Despite the immense rivalry between the two teams, the United supporters cannot help but appreciate the player that Sterling has become under Guardiola.

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Meanwhile, there are those who wish that their side had a talent like him.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Red Devils fans can be seen below:

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أكد إيميليانو مارتينيز حارس مرمى أستون فيلا، أنهم ليسوا سعداء بالنتيجة التي حققوها في مباراة الأمس أمام فريق برايتون في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتعادل الفريقان سلبيًا بلا أهداف في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين. ملخص مباراة أستون فيلا وبرايتون

وشهدت تلك المباراة تألق إيميليانو مارتينيز حارس الفيلانز، حيث تصدى للعديد من فرص الخصم الخطيرة.

وقال إيميليانو مارتينيز في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “لسنا سعداء بالنقطة، جئنا إلى هنا من أجل الفوز ونكون في المراكز السبعة الأولى مع وجود مباراتين مؤجلتين لدينا”.

وأضاف: “كان أدائنا متقلبًا في الشوط الأول، ولم نتمكن من صنع الفرص في الثاني”.

وواصل: “الحفاظ على نظافة الشباك هي وظيفتي، إلى جانب المدافعين، إنها واحدة من تلك المباريات التي كان علينا أن نكون فيها متحفزين بأجسادنا، لكننا كنا خارج مستوانا اليوم”.

وتابع: “أعتقد أنني قدمت مباراة جيدة لأنني تصديت لفرصة في وقت مبكر، أنا سعيد لإبعاد جميع الفرص اليوم”.

واستكمل: “أريد فقط أن أكون عند ثقة مدربي بي، ومدرب حراس المرمى والنادي، أنا سعيد لأنني نجحت في الاستقرار بسرعة كبيرة، ولكن الفضل يعود إلى زملائي في الفريق الذين يقومون بعمل جيد حقًا”.

واختتم: “نحن نتطلع إلى المشاركة الأوروبية، لهذا السبب أشعر بالإحباط اليوم، لم نكن في المباراة منذ الدقيقة الأولى، وبرايتون كان يستحق الفوز”.

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Former Rangers star Neil Murray believes that the Europa League games are the nerviest of the season and could have an impact on Steven Gerard’s side.

What’s he said?

Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Murray believes that qualification to the Europa League group stages will be important for the club as they look to build for a successful season, and it will be nervy.

The Light Blues face FC Midtjylland in the penultimate round of Europa League qualification, knowing they face either Legia Warsaw or Atromitos in the final round should they defeat the Danes.

Murray thinks it’s important for a club like Rangers to be in European competition, stating: “Without a doubt, these are the nerviest games of the whole season. There is a lot of prestige and finance attached to reaching the group stages of Europe.”

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Do Rangers need European football this season?

Murray’s claims that the “prestige and finance” of getting to the group stages of the tournament is correct for a club like Rangers. Yet, is that what the club need just now?

Obviously, all money earned is welcome and it’s a nice experience to play in front of packed stadiums across Europe but the club should have their eyes on a different objective this season.

Last year was a season of two halves, the form in the second half of the season was brilliant, with results a bit more patchy in the opening half of the campaign. While a number of factors aided to this (Gerrard getting more experienced as a manager and the arrivals of Jermain Defoe and Glen Kamara in January) not having to play Thursday-Sunday must’ve helped, as they dropped out of the group stages of the Europa League in December.

Last season’s split in results from the first half of the campaign and the new year could be reason enough to suggest that dropping out of the Europa League wouldn’t be terminal for the Gers’ season.

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Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have one of those famous footballing bromances, which shows in their non-stop social media activity and multitude of content they

/Bz-GSURIjA0/” data-lasso->post together.

To put it more simply, they basically do everything together and have seemingly turned out to be great friends ever since they became teammates at the Emirates Stadium.

Currently, though, the Gunners are on their 2019 pre-season summer tour and have recently won a big match against Bayern Munich. Both Aubameyang and Lacazette featured and, afterwards, they shared some snaps for the fans.

The Frenchman posted one showing him in mid-air, striking the ball with style, and of course, who else would immediately be in the comment sections other than Aubameyang.

The speedy Gabon international was clearly impressed by what he saw but also couldn’t miss a chance to rinse Lacazette just a bit.

He replied saying “what an incredible extension” and followed it with a laughing emoji.

Of course, this was a genuine remark with a tongue-in-cheek aspect thrown in.

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The summer is finally here, which only means one thing for football fans – transfers galore. And for Tottenham supporters, in particular, it could be a window to remember.

Nearly 18 months since their last signing, Spurs look set to go crazy this summer with a plethora of new faces joining the club along with some names leaving the north London side. One name already that has been linked with a move is Giovani Lo Celso.

According to BBC Sport, the Real Betis midfielder was the subject of a £53 million from Tottenham last week and with the news that Christen Eriksen is likely to leave this summer, the Argentine playmaker could be a replacement for the outbound Danish international.

Tottenham fans are excited, but what have the experts across the continent been saying about Lo Celso?

Guillem Balague – Spanish football journalist

If a player from Spain is in the midst of a move to England, Guillem Balague is already on the case.

The Spanish football journalist has been the centre of many breaking stories involving players to and from Spain over the past few years, and although Balague has yet to confirm any movement between Spurs and Lo Celso, the Argentine is a player that has caught his eye.

Balague tweeted during Real Betis’ incredible 4-3 win over Barcelona at the Nou Camp back in November: “Lo Celso extraordinary. Man to man with (Sergio) Busquets defending, attacking the space on the left-hand side or receiving the ball between the lines when Betis kept the ball.”

Gabriele Marcotti – European football journalist

Another journalist to take a liking to Lo Celso is ESPN regular Gabriele Marcotti. The European football writer recently sang the former PSG man’s praises during an airing of ESPN FC but was quick to reframe that a deal should only happen if Eriksen is sold this summer.

Marcotti said via the Daily Express: “I think the thinking from Tottenham’s perspective is that he’s kind of an insurance policy against Christian Eriksen. If Eriksen goes, he’s a Plan B. Obviously not identical players but he would bring some of the same creativity and some of the ability to pick out a pass.”

Stewart Robson – Former Arsenal player

Another expert to speak up on the matter of Lo Celso to Tottenham on ESPN FC was former Arsenal man Stewart Robson and, just like Marcotti, the pundit is a fan of the Real Betis playmaker but also said the midfielder would only work if Eriksen left.

Speaking to ESPN FC via USA SportsRadar: “He (Lo Celso) can go past people better than Eriksen.

“He’s got a bit more athleticism, he’s a good passer of the ball. But you can’t have too many of those players in the side, so if Eriksen stays it will be difficult for him to come in.”

One could point out that problems started to occur in West Bromwich Albion’s game after Harvey Barnes was recalled from his loan by Leicester City.

The Baggies fired manager Darren Moore afterwards, somewhat scraping into the play-offs, in which they were dominated by Aston Villa.

Barnes was a big reason for their early dominance, proving an important figure in their attack. Indeed, even his team-mates think his premature departure in January affected (Old Baggies via the Leicester Mercury) their chances of Premier League promotion.

Why wouldn’t it?, after all He scored 9 goals and assisted 6 times in his five-month loan spell, bringing energy and flair to spice up their attack.

If anyone is to be blamed, it’s West Brom’s fairly incompetent management. The way their partnership with Barnes ended prematurely should be a reality check for Luke Dowling. He should recruit the targets the right way from now on. Loaning players isn’t wrong, but it’s the manner in which you do it.

From now on, West Brom should look for the kind of loan deals according to their own benefits. They need to make sure players cannot be recalled again next season, leaving a big void in their system.

How West Brom’s attack mellowed down after Barnes’ departure was very surprising. However, the Baggies should take this as a lesson learnt to loan in more devoted players to go all the way into lodging a better push for Premier League promotion.

West Brom fans, do you think losing Barnes so prematurely was a mistake? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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According to the BBC, Tottenham have submitted a whopping £53m bid for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who is on Everton’s radar as per a report from earlier this month.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it was reported that the Toffees and Spurs were locked in a battle to sign the Argentina international this summer, as the north Londoners searched for a Mousa Dembele replacement.

Everton were also keeping tabs on the 23-year-old as they looked to build on Marco Silva’s impressive first campaign at Goodison Park.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Real Betis secured Lo Celso for a bargain £21.5m after they exercised their option-to-buy agreement in the loan deal they agreed with Paris Saint-Germain, and it appears that they are looking to make a quick profit on their investment.

Andre Gomes is half the price

There should be no chance that Everton will go anywhere close to matching Tottenham’s bid for Lo Celso.

Of course, the fact that he hit 16 goals and recorded six assists from midfield makes him an attractive proposition this summer for the Toffees, but that price should immediately put Everton off.

Director of Football Marcel Brands certainly shouldn’t even think about matching Spurs’ bid, especially after it was reported that Barcelona are looking for a fee in the region of £25m-£35m for Andre Gomes.

The Portuguese international enjoyed a phenomenal 2018/19 campaign whilst on loan from Barcelona to the Toffees, and a number of fans would be in dreamland if the club could sign him on a permanent basis.

Significantly, the fact that the 25-year-old Gomes is tried and tested in English top-flight football, a stage in which a number of promising foreign exports have failed on, should be reason enough for the Toffees to drop their interest in Lo Celso.

With Gomes available for around half of what Tottenham bid for Lo Celso, Brands and Silva should definitely pull out of the race.

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Sheffield Wednesday are one of the many clubs interested in Coventry’s Jordan Willis once his contract is up at the end of the season, according to the Coventry Telegraph.

If the Owls are to pursue the 24-year-old, then it could be a sign that the brakes have been thrown on a potential deal for the club’s Player of the Year Michael Hector.

Signing Willis

The Sky Blues centre-back could prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the summer.

The 24-year-old has already made 208 senior appearances in his career, and with such experience at a young age, he could be a top class Championship centre-back for the next decade.

The defender has spent the past few years cutting his teeth in League One and Two, but performances in those leagues have shown that he is more than ready to make the step up.

Unfortunately for Steve Bruce, he isn’t the only person monitoring Willis’ situation; Derby, Hull, Bristol City and Luton have all been linked to the centre-half.

Hector alternative

Murmurs of Willis’ arrival should be worrying for Wednesday fans who want to see the club bring in Chelsea defender Hector.

The Yorkshire club are interested in bringing the Jamaican back after his incredible loan spell at Hillsborough, but this signing may be a signal that things aren’t going smoothly on that front.

Current centre-back Tom Lees doesn’t look like he is going anywhere, and with so much interest in Willis, he isn’t going to move to a club that can’t offer him a starting spot.

If the Owls bring in the Coventry man that may be their centre-back pairing sorted for next season, meaning that the defender is either staying at Stamford Bridge or heading elsewhere.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Hector has been linked with a move to Fulham and this Willis link may indicate that the Jamaican has opted to stay in London rather than return to Sheffield.

Look away now City fans: Bayern Munch have apparently started talks with Manchester City over summer transfer of Leroy Sane.

Genuinely, this transfer story is testament to just how good Manchester City have it at the moment, if they’re willing to part way with one of the brightest talents in world football.

The Daily Record understands the Bundesliga champions have been given the green light to liaise with the German international’s representatives with a view to agreeing contractual terms.

Bayern’s move for Sane isn’t anything new – they were after the player in 2016 but were pipped to his signature by the mega money of City. But now with the star spending increasingly more time on the bench and the periphery of the squad, Bayern seem likely to wind up the deal with little to no complications.

As much as City fans may want to keep their star, the situation between the club and player has deemed it incredibly unlikely. The 23-year-old has rejected a series of offers to upgrade and extend a contract that expires in the summer of 2021, and City’s director of football Txiki Begiristian apparently does not want to risk a stalemate scenario in which the forward simply runs down his contract and transfer value, so he may be forced to sell in the coming window.

Manchester City have one of the brightest talents in world football in Leroy Sane, only a fool would deny that. To lose him at this stage in his career when he has already demonstrated how devastating he can be – passing the remarkable 10 goals and 10 assists mark – would truly be a travesty of the highest order.

City fans, how sad would you be to see Sane go? Knowing how good your club have been in the market, are you at all worried? Let us know in the comments below!

أكد سيد عبد الحفيظ، مدير الكرة بالأهلي، أنه لم تصدر أي إساءة في حق محمد فضل عضو اللجنة الخماسية باتحاد الكرة من جانب محمود كهربا لاعب الفريق، مشيرًا إلى أن الواقعة أخذت أكبر من حجمها.

ونشبت مشادة بين كهربا ومحمد فضل وصلت للتشابك بالإيدي خلال احتفالية الأهلي بتتويج الدوري والتي أقيمت أمس على استاد الأهلي وي السلام عقب مباراة الأحمر وطلائع الجيش التي حسمها الفريق بثلاثية نظيفة.

وقال عبد الحفيظ في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي للنادي الأهلي إن الواقعة التي تناولها البعض بين محمود كهربا، لاعب الفريق، ومحمد فضل، عضو اللجنة الخماسية، في حفل التكريم أمس، أخذت أكبر من حجمها.

وأضاف: “والكل يعلم أن مثل هذه العلاقات تسير في إطار الاحترام المتبادل، ولا توجد أي نية للإساءة من جانب أي طرف للآخر، خاصة أن الأجواء احتفالية، وتكريم للأهلي ولاعبيه من جانب اتحاد الكرة بعد موسم شاق من كافة الوجوه”.

طالع أيضًا.. خاص – الخطيب يعد محمد فضل بتوقيع عقوبة على كهربا.. وشكوى منتظرة للانضباط

وتابع: “حرصت على مشاهدة فيديو الواقعة أكثر من مرة، واستمعت لكلام محمود كهربا، ولم أكتفي بذلك، بل استمعت أيضًا للعديد من زملائه الذين كانوا قريبين منه”.

وواصل: “ولم تصدر أي إساءة في حق الكابتن محمد فضل، وغير مسموح بذلك أيًا كانت المبررات، بل إن كهربا في كل حديثه معي أكد على تقديره واحترامه الكامل للكابتن محمد فضل، والعلاقة الطيبة التي تربطه معه”.

وأردف: “لكن يبدو أن هناك سوء فهم شكليًا حدث بخصوص الواقعة، وهذا لا ينال من الرفض القاطع من جانب الأهلي لأي إساءة أو تجاوز في حق أيّ من عناصر المنظومة الكروية”.

ووجه عبد الحفيظ التحية لاتحاد الكرة وجميع القائمين عليه، خاصة أنهم تحملوا الكثير في سبيل عودة النشاط الكروي، واستكمال مسابقة الدوري بكل درجاتها في ظروف صعبة للغاية.

وأختتم: “هذا الأمر يحسب لكل العناصر الذين تعاونوا وأعادوا الحياة للملاعب بعد جائحة كورونا التي سادت العالم وتسببت في إلغاء مسابقات وبطولات رياضية عديدة”.