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Having clinched two new signings early on in the window in the shape of Swansea’s Daniel James and Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, things have quietened down on the Manchester United transfer front.

The Red Devils have reportedly been in talks to sign Harry Maguire and Sean Longstaff in recent weeks, but neither deal seems relatively close to being completed.

Now, speaking in his press conference, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that if the club failed to make any new signings before the end of the window next month, he would believe in his current players to improve and would be sure that they could “do well”.

After hearing Solskjaer’s comments, United fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns and many were seemingly frustrated by the Norwegian’s stance.

Many expressed their frustrations that the Norwegian has simply become a “puppet” of the Glazers and felt that it was actually one of the main reasons behind him being hired as the new gaffer.

Some felt that Solskjaer’s words are “worrying” and that the side is “set up to fail” next season.

Either way, check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Newcastle have confirmed the appointment of Steve Bruce as their new head coach, replacing Rafael Benitez.

What’s the story?

When Benitez left at the expiry of his contract, some of the Toon Army may have been holding on to the faint hope that a takeover would arrive and Rafa’s replacement would be someone of his calibre or higher.

Instead, the Magpies have signed Bruce, despite Sheffield Wednesday’s insistence that there are still legal issues that need to be resolved.

The 58 year-old has joined on a three-year deal, and will be joined by Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence.

A Newcastle fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Magpies in the video below…

The Elo system

When it comes to tactical expertise, attracting top players, winning major honours and pretty much everything else, Benitez would appear to be the far superior manager to his replacement.

However, stats website clubelo.com has an extremely interesting rating system, which evaluates clubs, players and managers based on a variety of factors.

Variables in the system include goal difference, strength of competition or league, home field advantage and expected goals, amongst others, from which an Elo rating is awarded to clubs and individuals.

And rather unbelievably, Bruce’s best head-to-head Elo rating comes against none other than Benitez, at a positive rating of 62.6, while Benitez’s worst opponent is Bruce, with a negative rating of the same value.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

According to the system, Neil Warnock is Bruce’s next best opponent, while the manager he struggles most against is David Moyes, whose teams have scored 26 goals to the 14 of Bruce’s.

You only need to read through the replies of Newcastle’s announcement tweet to see how the Toon Army feels about Bruce, but according to the Elo ranking system, he could be one of the few men on the planet who knows how to get one over on Benitez.

Whether that translates into positive performances and results for the Magpies is yet to be seen, but maybe there is a little bit of method behind the club’s madness.

Rangers are on the verge of signing Bologna defender and Sweden international Filip Helander, according to reports from the Daily Record.

What’s the story?

Steven Gerrard has made no secret that he wants to strengthen his squad this summer and it looks like it’ll just be a matter of when, rather than if, he adds to his squad again as Helander looks close to agreeing on a deal that’ll cost the Ibrox club a cool £4 million.

Helander featured 23 times for the Seria A side and has made 10 appearances for the Swedish national team and at 26 has a good few years of football in him. The potential deal has drawn praise from an unlikely source in shape of former AC Milan manager and ex-Rangers star Gennaro Gattuso: “I heard from Italy the price is around 5m Euros – and that’s a good price for him. It’s big money for Rangers but he’s a good player at that price when you consider the market at this moment.”

Gerrard’s masterstroke

Rangers’ current crop of centre-halves are strong: Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic started to look like a good partnership in the second half of the season and new signing George Edmundson comes with a good reputation at just 21-years-old. You felt any signing that Gerrard would make in this role would have to be better than an already impressive bunch and Helander has been playing at a high level for the majority of his career having made over 80 Serie A appearances as well as playing in the Champions League for Malmo in 2014.

The signing of the 26-year-old shouldn’t hamper the progress of any youngster with only Lewis Mayo close to the first team from the academy and despite impressing in pre-season is still some way away from becoming a first-team regular.

If Helander can play at a similar level to what he’d been playing in Serie A at Rangers then Gerrard might’ve found a player capable of taking his club to the next level and competing for the domestic trophies in Scotland.

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Wolves breezed past their Europa League opposition with a 4-0 victory over Pyunik in Armenia on Thursday evening, thanks to goals from Raul Jimenez (2), the returning Matt Doherty and set-piece specialist Ruben Neves.

But there was one notable absentee from the squad…

Yes. It does appear that a professional footballer failed to travel with the one thing that would allow him out of the country.

Wolves’ winger-turned-defender Adama Traore couldn’t travel with the team this week after forgetting his passport by instead bringing an ID card.

A number of the Molineux faithful took to Twitter to take a swipe at the 23-year-old.

Many blasted his lack of intelligence with one supporter stating that he’s always said Traore doesn’t have a brain and this incident proves it, whilst another added that this was the most Adama thing ever, calling him a bit dopey.

Others demanded that the Spaniard was heavily fined and one fan even wanted the club to ‘get rid’ of him.

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Traore has been enjoying a decent pre-season at right wing-back for Nuno Santo’s side and in the Europa League second-round qualifying first-leg victory over Crusaders he assisted one of their two goals from that very position.

Though any doubts over his future involvement at the club were firmly put to bed by the Portuguese manager as he said Traore would join up with the squad for the next game – a Premier League opener against Leicester City.

Here’s the best of the reaction…

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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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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Victor Orta confirmed at a fans’ event, via Leeds Live, in Australia that Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla looks set to remain at Elland Road this season, and it could be another step towards some Whites fans performing a u-turn on the 32-year-old.

What’s the word, then?

When the Spaniard joined from Real Madrid in January, it would have been a natural reaction to expect him to be a strong and reliable presence between the sticks.

However, it didn’t quite work out like that with one of his worst moments coming in the second leg of the play-off semi-final defeat against Derby County, when a mix-up up at the back with Liam Cooper gifted the Rams a goal and a route back into the tie.

Many Leeds supporters on Twitter destroyed the 6 ft 3 man for his performance in that game, and others were delighted when he was linked with what would have been early exit this summer.

However, Orta confirmed on Wednesday that he is set to stay: “I can say Kiko Casilla prefers to stay in Leeds United than the first division in Spain. And, again, for me, I feel really proud.”

Another step in the right direction

Casilla committing his future to the Championship club is certainly a good sign that the stopper is ready to make amends for any mistakes last season.

The former Real man has already apologised to supporters before the pre-season friendly against York City, and now his latest decision should be another step towards getting some of the Elland Road faithful back on his side.

A fully confident Casilla could easily make a huge difference for Leeds in their promotion push next season, and if he can eradicate the errors from his game then the experience and quality that earned him a move to the Bernabeu in the first place should shine through.

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West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere has insisted that the Hammers will move on quickly from their 5-0 loss to Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.

It was far from an ideal start to the season for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, who will be looking to put things right when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.

Wilshere has claimed that the City game is now gone and the team are fully focused on their trip to Brighton on Saturday.

However, the midfielder’s words have not exactly gone down terrifically well with the West Ham fans, who have heard it all before.

Interviews where footballers apologise to the fans and vow to move on quickly have become rife on social media in recent years.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And it would be fair to say that the London club’s supporters want a performance this weekend rather than potentially empty words in the build-up.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Experienced centre-forward Max Kruse has claimed that he turned down the chance to join Liverpool ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

Available on a free transfer after leaving Werder Bremen at the end of June, Kruse has said that he had a number of options when it came to his next club.

One of those was Liverpool, according to the Germany international, but he decided to make the move to Fenerbahce.

Jurgen Klopp’s side lost Daniel Sturridge at the end of last season and are therefore quite short when it comes to senior options in the final third of the field.

Kruse would have represented a low-cost, experienced option.

And the 31-year-old managed a respectable 11 Bundesliga goals for Bremen last term.

That said, it would be fair to say that a number of Liverpool fans are not too bothered about missing out on the chance to sign him, whilst others are unsure whether the forward is actually telling the truth.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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فجرت صحيفة “Haber Turk” التركية مفاجأة من العيار الثقيل بشأن مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي جالطة سراي، مصطفى محمد، المنُضم حديثًا من الزمالك في الميركاتو الشتوي الماضي.

وانتقل مصطفى محمد في يناير على سبيل الإعارة من الزمالك لمدة موسم وصف الموسم مقابل 2 مليون دولار، مع شرط أحقية شراء قيمته 4 ملايين دولار في نهاية يونيو 2022.

ولكن على الرغم من الانتقال الحديث، تألق مصطفى محمد بقميص جالطة سراي في أول 4 مباريات مع الفريق التركي ونجح في تسجيل 4 أهداف وصنع هدفين آخرين.

اقرأ أيضًا | هل يقصد أحمد بلال؟.. مصطفى محمد: أتمنى الناس تحترم نفسها في الكلام

جذب هذا التألق الأنظار سريعًا نحو المهاجم المصري الدولي من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وبحسب صحيفة التركية هناك اهتمام من طرف نادي كريستال بالاس.

وبحسب الصحفي، أيهان شينسوي، أرسل كريستال بالاس طاقم الكشافة الخاص بها لمتابعة أداء مهاجم جالطة سراي في المباريات الرسمية وكانت البداية أمام ألانياسبور في كأس تركيا قبل أيام.

ويريد كريستال بالاس بحسب التقرير تدعيم خط هجومه حيث سجل فقط 27 هدفًا في 24 مباراة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم، وبالتالي، وضع مسئولوه أعينهم على، مصطفى محمد.

الجدير بالذكر أن اهتمام كريستال بالاس ليس بجديد بضم، مصطفى محمد، حيث كان هناك اهتمام في نفس الفترة من العام الماضي 2020، ولكن الفريق الإنجليزي لم يتقدم بأي عرض رسمي لنادي الزمالك.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce appears to have poured cold water over reports that Crystal Palace were looking to sign Ciaran Clark before the transfer window shuts, and it should come as a major blow to the Eagles.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun reported on Monday that the south London outfit were hopeful of bringing the 29-year-old to Selhurst Park in either a £5m permanent move or a season-long loan deal, to provide competition for Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins at the heart of the defence.

The Sun said at the time that it would be up to Bruce to decide whether he could afford to lose the centre-back, but his comments following the pre-season clash with Hibernian on Tuesday night suggest he has made his mind up.

Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He told BBC Newcastle: “The way we are with the injury to Lejeune and playing with three centre backs, if I let something happen to Ciaran Clark, we’d leave ourselves a bit short. I can’t really do that… I’ve had a quiet word with him and we move on.”

Blow for Palace

Following injuries suffered by Tomkins and Sakho in the second half of 2018/19 that ruled both out at the start of pre-season, it was obvious the lack of depth that the club had in those central defensive positions with the likes of Jairo Riedewald and Martin Kelly starting in their absence.

The Eagles could do with a reliable back-up player who could provide competition for a starting spot, and the 6 foot 1 Republic of Ireland international would have been the ideal candidate.

The former Aston Villa man has 165 Premier League appearances to his name and plenty of experience in that respect, and whether he was bought for £5m or arrived on loan he would have been seen as something of a shrewd addition in the modern era of extortianate transfer demands and fees.

Circumstances could change of course, but as things stand it doesn’t appear as though Clark will be in a red and blue shirt anytime soon – Hodgson may have to turn his attentions elsewhere in a bid to bring a new centre-back to the club.

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