Leeds United revealed on Wednesday that Tyler Roberts was facing ‘an extended period’ on the sidelines after picking up an ankle problem during a training session.
Roberts, 19, joined Leeds from West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the January transfer window, with the Whites believed to have paid £2.5m for the attacker’s services.
Roberts has not yet made his debut for the Championship club, and could now reportedly miss the remainder of the season with Leeds confirming in a statement that initial scans revealed a small crack in the teenager’s shin.
The news has come as a big blow to the Leeds supporters, who are not a happy bunch at the moment due to their team’s struggles in the Championship.
Indeed, a run of five defeats in their last seven league matches has seen the team drop into 11th position in the table – eight points off the playoff positions.
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The Roberts situation has been greeted with huge disappointment, although some supporters are attempting to remain upbeat.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
After fellow relegation rivals West Ham were well and truly clobbered during their visit to Anfield last weekend, Newcastle will be hoping they have a better time of it on Saturday when they make the trip to Merseyside.
If they are to avoid anything like the Hammers’ 4-1 defeat, not only will they need to play well defensively as they did against Manchester City and Manchester United in recent weeks, they’ll need to have a good showing from their forwards.
No Newcastle player has scored even half as many goals as Dwight Gayle since the beginning of last season and Christian Atsu in particular has struggled to stay on a consistent run of form.
January signing Kenedy could be just what Magpies fans are looking for though. The Brazilian youngster, who Transfermarkt value at £6.3million, has already contributed an assist and has looked promising in his four appearances so far for the Tyneside club. With Liverpool struggling to field a consistent back four this season, his pace and finesse could give the Reds problems this weekend.
And 71% of Newcastle fans in our poll yesterday are backing Kenedy to get the start ahead of the inconsistent Atsu, as can be seen by the results below.
How would you line up Rafa Benitez’s side on Saturday, Newcastle fans? Let us know by commenting below…
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Speaking to France Football, Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard has opened up on his time at the club so far and has nothing but nice things to say about his debut season.
What’s the story?
On loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Celtic are reported to have an option to buy the forward for £7m at end of his spell at the Hoops, although have not yet indicated they’ll be pursuing that.
The striker has suddenly become very popular with supporters after his winner against Rangers on Sunday, but will he be at the club next season?
While pressed to discuss his future come the end of the season by France Football, Edouard kept his cards close to his chest, although is positive about his time in Glasgow so far.
As quoted by the French outlet, the striker said:
At first, when I arrived, it was a little complicated. There is a change of country and especially of league. There were many differences. I did not give up and it ended up paying off gradually. Upon my arrival I took English classes – it is essential to communicate. I knew that my development would happen through integration efforts with the group and the club.
Frankly, I just play and finish the season. I do not think about what will happen next time. I’m having a lot of fun here at Celtic. It is an extraordinary club with a top coach and very big fans. I want to focus solely on my football and to help Celtic as best as I can.
No commitments then, but few players arrive at Celtic Park and are in a rush to leave, so if Celtic want him this summer, they’ll likely get him, but is the reported fee too hefty?
Record breaker?
The £7m it would take to bring Edouard to Celtic Park on a permanent basis would break their current transfer record of £6m and while the market has certainly inflated since the days of Chris Sutton and John Hartson, it’s still a massive sum for the Hoops to be spending.
After two seasons of Champions League money, the club would likely be able to afford it, but it’s all about balancing whether it should be spent on Edouard or other areas of the team.
The defensive line should be a huge priority and all resources in the summer may be directed there.
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While £7m may be a bit too much for Edouard at this stage of his career, perhaps if Celtic could negotiate that price tag down they could be onto a winner. The young Frenchman definitely has potential and his eight goals this season with limited game time, including the recent stunner at Ibrox, are proof of that.
Newcastle fans have been discussing the form of Mikel Merino, and they would like to see the Spaniard in a more advanced position.
Things are looking up on Tyneside after a few brilliant results, but fans are still not sure what to do with Mikel Merino.
The Spaniard was brought in on loan this season, and fans and neutrals alike thought he could form a superb partnership with Jonjo Shelvey.
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It hasn’t all gone to plan for the 21 year-old though, and he has spent most of Newcastle’s good run watching from the sidelines.
Merino was likened to a young Xabi Alonso when he broke through at Dortmund, but fans are now hoping to see the Spaniard deployed further forward, possibly in the number ten role.
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His creativity and technical ability is certainly something the Magpies have been missing. Despite the fantastic form of Shelvey and Mo Diame in the heart of midfield, Rafa Benitez still does not have a true creative influence behind the striker.
Merino has played further forward in the Spain setup, and fans have been discussing a possible position change on Twitter…
Newcastle fans just can’t get enough of Jamaal Lascelles after the defender put in yet another composed performance in the win against Huddersfield.
Jamaal Lascelles has been superb for Newcastle this season, and the Magpies’ young captain continued his impressive season on Saturday against Huddersfield, making eight clearances and completing 87 passes.
The 1-0 win courtesy of Ayoze Perez’s late winner all but secures Newcastle’s Premier League survival, and it’s due in no small part to the influence of captain Lascelles.
Since being handed the armband by Rafa Benitez, the 24 year-old has gone from strength to strength at the heart of Newcastle’s defence, and fans were fuming when he wasn’t called up to Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
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Lascelles has been heavily linked with Chelsea, so keeping him should be the absolute main priority for the Magpies this summer.
Liverpool fans have also fancied the idea of partnering Lascelles with Virgil van Dijk, so there could be quite the queue of suitors for the Englishman.
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Still, his obvious love for the club, city and fans will surely have a role in keeping him at the club, and the fans have once again been showing their appreciation for their skipper.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Liverpool produced a blistering performance to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday night, thanks to goals from Mo Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.
The potency of City’s attack is such that the two-legged affair is not over yet but Jurgen Klopp’s side took a huge leap towards the semi-finals of Europe’s elite competition as they blew Pep Guardiola’s side away.
James Milner – valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt – joined the Reds from City on a free transfer in 2015 and produced a performance full of energy, desire and pressing to subdue the visitors’ star-studded midfield.
David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne have dominated the middle of the pitch in most games this season but we’ve taken a look at the numbers behind the former England international’s display as he prevented the talented duo from doing the same at Anfield.
Put simply, Milner was everywhere. With five tackles, four clearances and three interceptions, he did an excellent job of stifling the City midfield, which became increasingly difficult as the second half wore on.
He also epitomised Liverpool’s commitment to attack – especially in that stunning first half display – with three crosses and a key pass from central midfield. What made this performance so special is that it was not just a spoiling job.
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With Jordan Henderson suspended for the second leg, Milner may have to pick up even more of the slack when he returns to the Etihad on Tuesday night.
But if he repeats this performance, Klopp might just start dreaming of the semi-finals.
Liverpool kept the momentum generated by their emphatic Champions League quarter-final win over Manchester City going with a routine 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.
Yet again, it was Mo Salah who grabbed the headlines, this time for an impudent header over Asmir Begovic, which was his 40th goal of the season across all competitions.
Along with Salah’s strike, the electric Reds front three – including Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino – all found the back of the net but there was an understated displacy of perfection just behind them, in the home midfield.
Gigi Wijnaldum – valued at £27m by Transfermarkt – did not misplace a single pass, finding the intended target with every one of his 42.
With four key passes, he was clearly trying to make things happen but that did not hamper his ability to find a team-mate at all and he also embarked on one dribble from his 50 touches as well.
The Dutchman’s control over proceedings, combined with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s development this season and the impending arrival of Naby Keita in the summer mean that the engine room is becoming a very exciting area indeed for Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool fans.
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Adam Lallana seemed to come into his own at Liverpool last season as his performances on the pitch made him a favourite among the fans.
Throughout the 2016-17 campaign, the midfielder scored eight goals and created seven assists in 31 Premier League appearances.
Injuries have plagued the England international this time around, though, as he has been restricted to just 13 appearances in all competitions, with only one of those outings being a Premier League start.
The 29-year-old flew to South Africa last week to undergo further treatment on his hamstring problem at a facility in Cape Town.
It is uncertain whether the midfielder will be fighting fit for the rest of the season as Liverpool have five games – potentially six – left to play before their campaign comes to an end.
Lallana has been part of the club since his 2014 switch from Southampton, but the constant injury woes led us to ask the fans whether it is time for Liverpool and the midfielder to part ways.
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The result may not be an overwhelming majority, but it indicates that most feel it is time for Lallana to move on.
Given how Jurgen Klopp’s current team are thriving, it would be a big ask for the midfielder to break into the side and hold down a regular spot if he cannot prove his fitness on a consistent basis.
Dwight Gayle has yet again been linked with a move away from Newcastle, and this time fans are happy to dump the 27 year-old striker.
According to Lee Ryder, chief sports writer at the Chronicle, Dwight Gayle is being linked with a move to Fulham, but will only be sold if a replacement is brought in this summer.
If you asked Newcastle fans to sell Dwight Gayle 12 months ago, the answer would have been a pretty firm no.
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The former Crystal Palace man scored 23 league goals for the Magpies in the Championship, but has just not been able to make the grade in the top tier.
In his first Premiership season on Tyneside, Gayle has managed just five league goals, and has generally struggled to make an impact on most games.
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The Englishman has been a fan favourite on Tyneside due to his work ethic, but nonetheless fans are coming to the conclusion that he is simply not good enough to take them to the next level.
Fans have been discussing the exit links on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…
According to a report by The Express, Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is ready to offer his next club a deal where he will pay back half of his wages if they are not happy with his performances, and West Ham United should look to take the Ivory Coast international up on the extraordinary proposal.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the 34-year-old is leaving City when his contract expires at the end of the season and wants to stay in the Premier League, although there aren’t many teams that will be able to afford the £220,000-a-week wages he is currently, according to The Express.
However, Toure is willing to compromise on his demands, and according to The Express his agent Dimitri Seluk said: “He’s happy to accept a one-year deal to stay in England. And if his club are not satisfied with his performances, he will pay back half his wages, or the club can cancel his contract immediately, with no compensation.”
Seluk added that the Ivorian is keen to prove he is still the best central midfielder in the Premier League, and that is something that could pique the interest of West Ham, who could be in for a busy summer in the transfer market following another disappointing campaign.
How has Toure done this season?
It has been a tough campaign for the 34-year-old after he signed a one-year deal to stay at the Etihad last summer, but it is not too surprising given the options Pep Guardiola has had available to him.
While the veteran midfielder has started seven matches in the EFL Cup and the Champions League, nine of his 10 Premier League appearances have come from the substitutes’ bench.
Why should West Ham sign him?
They should get him for a number of reasons.
Firstly, he sounds like he still has a fire in his belly and a point to prove, and the Irons could reap the dividends of that next term, considering he has 59 goals in 230 Premier League outings for City.
While Toure would still likely have to take a pay cut from his £220,000-a-week wages – perhaps down to £120,000-a-week – realistically if he wants to join a club outside the top six in the Premier League, if the offer is there to have half of that back if he doesn’t perform then someone like West Ham should be looking to snap him up.
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He would bring some experience and quality in the middle of the park that the east London outfit have been missing at times, and his addition would be a statement of intent for the fans, who have been reacting on Twitter to massive Manchester United injury news ahead of their clash on Thursday night, and other potential signings.