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Many Liverpool fans heaped praise on summer signing Thiago Alcantara and his performance against the club’s arch-rivals Manchester United.

The 29-year-old made his first start at Anfield this season in what has been a frustrating campaign for the Spaniard since his £20m move from Bayern Munich in September.

After contracting coronavirus at the end of that month, Thiago picked up a knee injury following a hard challenge from Richarlison during the Reds’ 2-2 draw against Everton.

Because of this, he has seen very little action – but the cameos he has made have received widespread praise from far and wide, and this evening’s performance against the Red Devils was no different.

Unsurprisingly, his quick thinking, sharp movement and his eye of a needle passing excited the supporters and made their feelings clear towards him on social media.

Fans drool over Thiago

“Thiago is just different class.”

Credit: @DanielRoachLFC

“Man like Thiago”

Credit: @mv_jenkins

“Thiago is world-class. The problem is he’s playing as a no 6 and is marked constantly. Need him in the advances midfield positions.”

Credit: @Strictly_Scouse

“Thiago is making mincemeat of United here, different gravy”

Credit: @macjp1991

“Thiago is wonderful to watch. Make it look so easy”

Credit: @BradleyPearce96

“Thiago is a baller #LFC walking through that midfield as he likes…”

Credit: @Goranh75

In other news, Liverpool eyeing up Serie A skipper as possible Gini Wijnaldum replacement.

Ross Wilson must sanction a January loan move for Glasgow Rangers midfielder Jamie Barjonas as he has found his chances limited under Steven Gerrard this season.

The 21-year-old made his first-team debut in a Scottish Premiership clash with Partick Thistle in 2017, but has struggled for minutes since and Wilson should consider sending him out on loan.

Barjonas burst onto the scene under Pedro Caixinha and made nine Premiership appearances across the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns, with his final appearance as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Motherwell at Ibrox in 2017.

However, he’s barely been seen since then, as he first left on loan for Bury and Raith Rovers, before penning a new deal with his boyhood club back in 2019 and joining the Jags on a short-term loan until the campaign was cut short by the pandemic.

He was heavily linked with the Ibrox exit amid interest from Oldham Athletic but Rangers refused to sell him in the summer.

Gers legend Peter Lovenkrands was effusive in his praise for Barjonas, describing him as a “fantastic” talent.

However, since then, he has found his chances hard to come by, as he is yet to feature for the first-team across all competitions so far this season.

Considering the form of Steven Davis, this isn’t all that surprising, whilst the arrival of new summer recruit Bongani Zungu from French Ligue 2 side Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option to buy meant that it was unlikely that Barjonas was going to be a first-team regular starter for Gerrard’s side.

While that’s not to say that Barjonas isn’t a good player – in fact far from it, as we think the club could be onto a winner with the former Scotland U19 international who scored two goals and supplied three assists during his time with Rovers –  he just needs to ensure that his progress isn’t stifled too much by being left out of the matchday squads.

When you consider the fact that he made 19 appearances across all competitions for the Rovers, it’s hard to imagine that there will be a shortage of interest in the young central midfielder, who was once praised by Gerrard for his impressive performance in the pre-season friendly over Nice.

A loan spell could be just what the doctor ordered for Barjonas to regain his confidence and work his way back into the Ibrox boss’ good books.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit drops big claim about Alfredo Morelos’ future at Glasgow Rangers…

Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost in the race to sign John Lundstram with Sheffield United reportedly willing to listen to offers.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent times revealed that the one-time England U20 international was a key target for Rangers in the summer as Steven Gerrard sought to bolster his midfield to try and stop Celtic from winning ten in a row.

It was claimed that after initially wanting to stay at Bramall Lane, Lundstram rejected a new contract extension, having entered the final year of his current deal.

According to Yorkshire Live, the Blades will admit defeat with the wantaway £7m-rated midfielder if a suitable bid arrives in January, although Chris Wilder confirmed they have not received any offers for him or indeed anyone else so far, saying:

“Nothing in any of the players who are in our 25-man squad, nothing at all.”

Rangers must swoop for Lundstram

With Crystal Palace and Brighton having to wait until the summer at the very earliest, Rangers may very well have a free shot at trying to tempt the 26-year-old to Ibrox in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Glen Kamara has been an integral part of Gerrard’s side so far this season, having made twelve appearances in the Premiership, but Ross Wilson could really do with finding another midfield dynamo to ease the burden on his shoulders.

And Lundstram is a player who can do precisely just that, as he is fully capable of providing competition and cover for the likes of Steven Davis and Bongani Zungu.

Lundstram is almost the polar opposite to the South Africa international, as he offers far more of a threat going forwards. Last season, Lundstram played 34 games in the Premier League, scored five goals and supplied three assists, whilst he averaged 1.3 shots, 1.4 tackles, and 1.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Zungu failed to register a single goal or record a single assist in Ligue 1 for Amiens last season, as per WhoScored.

Teammate Billy Sharp called Lundstram “a real menace” earlier this year, via The Star.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also operate in a more central role, and this kind of versatility would be an added bonus for the Ibrox boss.

Having Kamara and Lundstram in the same team and playing in the engine room could give the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Jermain Defoe, Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe further ammunition and allow them to add to their incredible goal-scoring record – 47 goals in total in the Premiership so far this season.

If Wilson can get a deal over the line in January, he could prove pivotal to their chances of regaining the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must cut his losses and sell Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in January…

David Turnbull hasn’t been with his new club for too long but he has already proven his worth with some important performances. After struggling with a stagnant midfield, Celtic boss Neil Lennon has opted to deploy the 21-year-old and fellow new signing Ismaila Soro in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his season.

Whilst it was a gamble, it paid off in dividends with Turnbull bagging three goalscoring contributions in his last three starts for the Hoops. His biggest impact came against Lille in the Europa League after he set up the opening goal and bagged one for himself, as per Sofascore.

Nick Hammond poached the versatile midfielder from Motherwell during the summer window on a £7,500 per week contract. He cost the club a little over £3million, which will be looking like a bargain right now.

According to WhoScored, Turnbull has even averaged a higher passing percentage (90.6%) and more key passes (2.4) per match than Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has 78.4% and 1 respectively.

Signing Turnbull was exceptional business

Celtic may yet have to make peace with the fact that they will not be securing their tenth consecutive Scottish Premiership title. As it stands, they are trailing to rivals Rangers, who are yet to lose a match this season. They also boast a huge 16-point lead, but the Hoops currently have three games in-hand and as last year proved, Rangers have it in themselves to stumble in January.

However, even a Rangers won’t be enough on its own for Celtic to regain their spot at the top of the table, as the Hoops will need to show much more than they have done so far this season if they are to close the gap. Due to Celtic’s inconsistent performances, a lot of uncertainty has surrounded Lennon’s position as manager.

Winning the Scottish Cup and indeed the historic ‘quadruple treble’ on Sunday has bought him some time though and if the Bhoys finish the season on a high, he could keep his place at the hilt of the club, especially if Hammond and Peter Lawwell have another positive transfer window.

Celtic have some recruiting to do once January comes round, particularly if the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie leave for pastures new. Both have received a lot of interest from other clubs and the Glaswegians will be in serious trouble in they lose them and fail to sign replacements.

But with their keen eye to snap up the talent such as Turnbull, there should be few concerns over their ability to bring in more impressive players.

In other news, Lawwell making smart decision by offering Conor Hazard new deal…

Leeds United will be hoping that they can do a number over close opponents Crystal Palace this afternoon. They will be looking to avenge their recent 4-1 loss to Leicester last time out, with individuals set to improve on disappointing personal performances.

Marcelo Bielsa made an odd call at half-time against the Foxes after he decided to bring on Ian Poveda for Jamie Shackleton. The right-winger’s presence meant that both he and Helder Costa were manning the right flank on paper, albeit Poveda drifted into the midfield a bit more. But to opt for a winger to do the job of a natural midfielder suggests something is off.

Shackleton to face the boot as Bielsa scrambles

Fan favourite Shackleton struggled for game time last season but has already made three Premier League appearances this term. However, he has also featured in both the Premier League 2 and reserve league EFL trophy. On the surface, this could hint that Bielsa is hoping for the 21-year-old to gain a bit more experience before he is fully deployed as a senior Premier League player.

However, Shackleton boasts 52 first team appearances for Leeds so far, which is certainly a stat to be proud of. He was recently lauded by Michael Brown for being a “breath of fresh air” in this Leeds side. The Premier League could be proving to be too difficult for the £1,500-per-week ace at the moment though.

Many have struggled to adapt to the gritty, high-intensity nature of England’s top flight. As such, it’s more than likely that Bielsa will opt to demote Shackleton to the bench or even the U23 league for this season.

Pascal Struijk is looking to be the man the manager will call upon for the rest of the campaign. His versatility to play across almost any defensive position as well as in midfield will be a huge boost for the Whites and will allow Bielsa to change up his formation as and when needed.

This could come into play as early as today, ensuring Crystal Palace don’t find a way into the back of the Leeds net.

In other news, Leicester loss to inspire Bielsa changes: Predicted Leeds XI vs Crystal Palace…

After suffering defeat at the hands of Leicester City last time out, Marcelo Bielsa will be looking at what went wrong and whether it’s something that can be rectified ahead of their clash against Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are currently level on points with the Yorkshire outfit, who have pulled off some impressive results so far this season. A win over their closest opponents will be a tough ask but it will establish them in the league if they can get the job done.

Football FanCast has predicted how Bielsa will line up this afternoon…

The Argentinian made some questionable changes to his squad after half-time against the Foxes. After a poor first 45, Bielsa hauled Jamie Shackleton off the pitch and replaced him with Ian Poveda, who is naturally a right winger. Having both him and Helder Costa on the pitch was a head-scratcher for fans, but could be an avenue the manager wants to explore a bit more.

For this reason, Poveda could get the nod ahead of the struggling Shackleton and he might be partnered up with Mateusz Klich, who usually plays a more defensive role. This leaves no room for Pablo Hernandez, who also struggled against Leicester.

With injuries galore, Robin Koch could be forced to use his versatility to fill the absent No.6 role. With this in mind, £675,000-valued youngster Pascal Struijk could earn his third senior start of the season. He last featured against Aston Villa in Leeds’ impressive 3-0 win, so Bielsa will be hoping that he can pull off another strong defensive performance today.

In other news, in an exclusive interview with FFC, Chris Kirkland believes Leeds should’ve signed a Championship keeper this summer…

Leeds United have had a great start to their first Premier League campaign in 16 years.

The Whites have lost just one of their first four games despite facing off against two of the best teams in the league in the shape of Manchester City and Liverpool.

Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping that he can keep the momentum rolling after the international break, and in order to do that he has to pick the right team against Wolves.

Wolves won’t be an easy team to overcome and their task has been made that much harder by an injury crisis at centre-back.

Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente have both picked up injuries on international duty, so Leeds will have to operate with a makeshift centre-back pairing for this one.

We’ve had a go at predicting how Leeds will line-up against Wolves.

The first place to look is centre-back after Cooper and Llorente’s injuries.

This is a position that Leeds have already been in this season with Cooper being unavailable on the opening day of the season and Llorente not having signed by that point, and on that occasion, Bielsa looked towards Pascal Struijk to fill the gap.

We expect the Argentine to do the same again here, but whether or not this proves to be a good idea remains to be seen as Leeds conceded four the last time Struijk and Robin Koch played together.

Away from that change, the defensive spots remain largely the same, Illan Meslier, Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas retain their spots in goal and at full-back.

The midfield has just one change as Jack Harrison comes back after being ineligible to face his parent club a fortnight ago, while there is no space for £17m man Raphinha as of yet due to Bielsa preferring to give his new signings a bedding-in period.

Up front, Patrick Bamford starts once again, with Rodrigo’s goal against Man City not enough to earn him a place back in the XI just yet.

After an impressive cameo from the bench during the 8-0 victory over Hamilton Academical at Ibrox before the international break, Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must reward Calvin Bassey with a start in the busy festive period.

Following the Scottish League Cup clash against Falkirk, Rangers will host Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday night in the hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.

The Light Blues started strongly against Benfica in their previous fixture but once again they blew a two-goal lead as the Portuguese giants stunned the Gers with a comeback to earn a draw at the Govan stadium.

Despite this obvious setback, several players produced a spirited performance, arguably none more so than Borna Barisic, who received a high rating of seven out of ten for his efforts from Glasgow Live.

Barisic has arguably been one of the club’s best players in recent weeks, with the marauding fullback racking up eight assists in 20 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

However, with the fixtures coming thick and fast as the Gers head into the winter months, Gerrard will be well aware he will have to rotate his squad to avoid major burnout.

So perhaps the Ibrox boss should start to think about rewarding Bassey, who has turned out to be a total revelation after his arrival from Leicester City in the summer.

In seven games this season, the 20-year-old is averaging 1.7 tackles per game overall, via WhoScored, which is more than the Croatian defender is currently managing (1.2).

Whilst his attacking output is nowhere near on the same level as Barisic as of yet, the raw potential is there for all to see, as he has made one key pass and one dribble per game in the Europa League, as per WhoScored.

It could be argued that the youngster, who holds dual English and Nigerian citizenship, has a lot to prove during his time at the Ibrox outfit, as he came through the ranks with Leicester City’s academy but wasn’t given the time to shine in the first team.

Rangers chief Ross Wilson secured the arrival of the versatile player from the Foxes on a four-year deal in the summer. Since his arrival, Bassey has made just eight appearances for the Gers in which he has started just two games (via Transfermarkt).

However, the Ibrox boss has described him as a “fantastic” talent, whilst Wilson recently revealed that backroom staff are pleased with his progress.

It’s fair to say that Bassey put his faith in Gerrard as he wasn’t exactly short of suitors as the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham were credited with an interest in the summer. Now it’s the manager’s turn to return the favour.

AND in other news, Zungu and Hagi start, no room for Cedric Itten: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Falkirk…

A reported date has been set for the English Football League’s potential salary cap as per comments made by Portsmouth chief executive officer Mark Catlin.

Pompey missed out on promotion from League One to the Championship via the play-offs this term, being beaten by Oxford United in the semi-finals.

That disappointment is now expected to see boss Kenny Jackett make wholesale changes during the summer transfer window and look to bolster his squad.

However, the potential of a salary cap of £2.5m per season could restrict many moves and Catlin has now revealed a date that EFL clubs are set to vote on the matter.

Catlin told Portsmouth News: “I don’t think there is a certainty that the salary cap will go through.

“There seems to be an ever-growing number of clubs which may vote against it, but I think a lot of those may look at it and, given the financial situation, see it as the best of a bad job.

“It doesn’t tick everyone’s boxes, but, on the whole, it means clubs’ costs are going to be brought down.

“Unfortunately for us, they are going to be brought down to a level which is far too low for Pompey and too high for other clubs.
“I have been speaking to quite a few of the Championship clubs ahead knowing the relegation spaces, so they are up to speed with the situation and must now come to their own decisions.

“Obviously the three relegated Championship clubs all have their own internal issues at the moment financially, so we’ll have to see how they do this.

“I am pretty certain the vote will take place on August 6, so we will find out soon.”
Portsmouth are yet to sign anyone for the 2020/21 season, despite allowing the likes of Christian Burgess and Brandon Haunstrup leave.

Pompey’s whole summer transfer window could be decided by the potential salary cap and that could determine exactly how they will approach the new season.

With little transfer activity happening at the moment at the League One club, players like Burgess and Haunstrup will need to be replaced quickly and efficiently, but as mentioned, the calibre and quality of those potential replacements could be determined by the EFL vote.

It is fair to say that the outcome of the vote could have huge ramifications on Pompey’s 20/21 campaign.

Do you think the salary cap will be introduced? Let us know in the comments section below…

Manchester United are in danger of missing out on Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho this summer. 

Man United missed Dortmund’s deadline to sort out a deal by August 10 and the 11-cap England international has rejoined his Bundesliga teammates for their pre-season training camp in Switzerland.

The Red Devils haven’t give up hope of signing Sancho just yet, but Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has dealt Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a bitter blow.

He recently told reporters “we plan on having Jadon Sancho in our team this season, the decision is final. I think that answers all our questions.”

Now, The Manchester Evening News claims United could turn their attention to Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz instead.

Chelsea have emerged as top contenders to sign the 7-cap German international but United could still hijack the Blues’ bid for him in the summer.

Frank Lampard’s side are reportedly leading the race to sign the £90m-rated attacking midfielder, although it looks like the Red Devils are ready to challenge their Premier League rivals.

However, Solskjaer has insisted that Sancho is his top target, having chased the right winger for some time already.

While Havertz would be a cheaper alternative to the 20-year-old, he will not come cheaply either.

As far as Chelsea are concerned, Leverkusen’s top scorer remains their primary focus before the start of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

Ed Woodward is known for many things but acting quickly is not one of them. The executive vice-chairman missed out on signing Cesc Fabregas and ended up paying over the odds for United flop Marouane Fellaini instead.

Dortmund are notorious for driving a hard bargain and are unwilling to sell Sancho for anything less than £108m in the summer. They famously sold Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona for £135m after rejecting a bid from Barca at the beginning of August 2017.

Both clubs are locked in negotiations but appear to be at loggerheads, while fans will have to wait and see how this poker game will play out, as the game is almost certainly afoot. The bottom line is if United want to sign Sancho then Woodward will have to break the bank.

United fans, will Woodward sign Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!