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Many Liverpool fans have been reacting with delight to reports that Jurgen Klopp could start Diogo Jota against Aston Villa at Villa Park tomorrow.

The 23-year-old recently made the switch from Wolves to Anfield for a fee believed to be in the region of £41m and got off to a bright start with his new club after scoring during their 3-1 victory over Arsenal last Monday.

It looked unlikely that Jota would walk straight into Liverpool’s first team, due to the sensational form of Sadio Mane over the past five seasons. However, with the Senegal international being ruled out for their trip to the Midlands, there could be good news on the horizon for Jota.

Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph reported that the Portuguese winger could be in line for his first start for the Reds, giving him the opportunity to stake his claim in Klopp’s first XI.

While some supporters were understandably disappointed to be without Mane this weekend, they were equally as excited to see Jota possibly in the starting line-up. Here is a flavour of the Twitter reaction:

Should Diogo Jota make his first start tomorrow? Join the conversation by commenting below…

Victor Orta has had an incredible redemption arc at Leeds over the past 12 months or so.

The Spaniard has gone from being the subject of much criticism to being the man of the hour amongst the Leeds fanbase, and while it’s great to see the tables turning like this, it has to be said that the original complaints were warranted.

Orta had a dangerous knack of leaving things too late in the transfer window, and with Marcelo Bielsa often giving his new signings a lot of time to bed in and learn his training regimes and tactics, this was a strategy that often backfired.

Eddie Nketiah wasn’t given a start until December after joining on deadline day last summer, Jean-Kevin Augustin never got up to speed after joining late in January, while the infamous Daniel James deal never got over the line due to the fact Leeds left it too late.

Fortunately, the Spaniard seems to have learnt from these mistakes, getting most of Leeds’ business done early this time around, and while a couple of late signings are still expected, the squad is largely built, and that was more important than ever this season.

Leeds had two very winnable games in the opening weeks of the season against both Fulham and Sheffield United, and they managed to get the job done on both of those occasions, with their new signings proving to be the heroes on both occasions.

Illan Meslier, who signed on a permanent deal this summer, was lauded as the hero on Sunday, while Helder Costa’s brace secured the points for United against Fulham.

These two had already been at the club for a year on loan deals before making permanent switches, and they may not have been able to have such an impact if United instead opted for a whole host of fresh faces this summer.

Bielsa’s way of operating means that new signings need to learn the system before earning a starting berth, and in positions that were in desperate need for reinforcement, Orta made sure business was done early, with Rodrigo and Robin Koch signed in late August, weeks before the campaign kicked off.

It’s taken a number of attempts to kick the habit of leaving it late, but Orta has finally got it right this time around.

In other news, one Leeds loanee showed exactly what he can do last weekend.

Liverpool have had an absolute barnstormer of a season, winning their first league title for 30 years.

It was no surprise that the Reds would go on to contend for the title this season given the agonising end to last year’s campaign, which saw them miss out on the title to rivals Manchester City by a single point, despite the success of the club winning the Champions League. It felt as though the wait for the title would go on – until now.

Their season was full of incredible moments, with Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal football in full flow, leading the club to their best season on record with 99 points.

From going unbeaten at Anfield, to losing their first game of the season at Watford, the Reds’ season had it all – after 38 games, how well can you remember the biggest moments and all the stats that took Liverpool to the Premier League title?

Burnley defender Ali Koiki has rejected the offer of a new contract from the club and could be set to leave Turf Moor, according to a report from Lancashire Live.

The 21-year-old left-back is keen to play first team football after a prolonged spell with the Clarets’ under-23 side and he was not involved in pre-season training with Sean Dyche’s squad due to uncertainty over his future (as per Lancashire Live).

Koiki has been named on the bench for four first team games with Burnley but has never made a competitive appearance for the Clarets (as per TransferMarkt), with his only senior experience being the 15 appearances he clocked during a loan spell with Swindon in 2019.

There has been a degree of interest in the 21-year-old from Football League clubs but no deal has been reached. The Robins wanted to take him back last summer after his loan spell but were unable to reach an agreement, while Charlton took him on trial recently but cannot purchase players at the moment due to squad restrictions. [via Lancashire Live]

Although the youngster impressed with a 10-goal haul at under-23 level last term, he faces stiff competition at left-back among Dyche’s first team ranks. The manager already has Charlie Taylor and Erik Pieters at his disposal, along with under-23 captain Anthony Glennon, who made the bench for a handful of Premier League games towards the end of last season.

According to Football Insider, Koiki is unhappy that the Clarets boss hasn’t given him a chance in the first team so far, believing that his performances at underage level have warranted a senior debut for the club.

It is frustrating that a promising young player in Koiki looks set to depart without getting a chance to show what he can do for the first team, but Burnley can at least feel that they did their bit in trying to keep him by offering him a new contract.

In any case, Dyche seems well-stacked in the left-back area, while the Clarets will receive compensation if the defender signs for another club as he is under the age of 24. Therefore, some good may come from the potential departure of contract rebel Koiki.

Burnley fans, should Koiki have been given a chance or is it a case of ‘good riddance’? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Bournemouth ace Aaron Ramsdale if the Cherries are relegated from the Premier League, according to the Daily Mail. 

Tottenham are keen to sign Ramsdale as a replacement for Hugo Lloris and, despite the Frenchman still being Jose Mourinho’s first-choice goalkeeper, recent reports have suggested that Spurs are searching for his eventual successor this summer.

It is understood that the Lilywhites are looking at the Cherries’ shot-stopper as a possible alternative.

Ramsdale has been one of the few success stories in a difficult season for Eddie Howe’s side, who find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle at the bottom of the Premier League which is set to be decided on the final day of the season.

The England under-21 international, who has won seven caps at that level, has played 36 games in the Premier League this season, keeping just five clean sheets and conceding 61 goals up until now.

Meanwhile, Lloris has arguably struggled for consistency so far, as he has managed only six clean sheets in the league this term. Surprisingly, he has received a higher SofaScore rating than the Bournemouth ‘keeper, although there isn’t much between them.

Even though these statistics don’t seem to make for pleasant reading, Ramsdale enjoyed one of his best performances against Southampton in the south coast derby last weekend.

While the Cherries came up short, as the Saints scored twice to claim the victory, the Englishman earned a high SofaScore rating for his displays between the sticks, saving four shots from inside the box, making six saves overall, saving one penalty and taking 40 touches of the ball.

The 22-year-old Cherries ‘keeper has shown glimpses of what he has to offer, although he is still a work in progress, as he needs to improve his long passing. However, he arguably has a long career ahead of him and it may be a risk worth taking, as he is currently valued at £11m by Transfermarkt.

As it stands, it is likely that 33-year-old Lloris will be phased out within the next couple of years and Ramsdale could turn out to be a shrewd signing, given his significant younger age and his fine showings for relegation-threatened Bournemouth.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Ramsdale this summer? Let us know in the comments below!

Alan Hutton believes that it will take a £20m bid to convince Glasgow Rangers to sell Alfredo Morelos this summer.

The Colombia international has been continually linked with a move away from Ibrox over the past few weeks and months, with a number of clubs from Atletico Madrid to Everton all said to be interested in his services. It has even been reported that the 54-time Scottish champions expect to lose him this summer.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Gers player Hutton says that it will take a monumental bid to convince the club to move him on. He explained:

“It’s all about the money, we understand with the pandemic that we’re not sure how the transfer market’s going to work out but if they get a figure in the region of £20million-plus for him, I think definitely their (Rangers) heads will turn and they’ll look to cash in.

“Ultimately they can strengthen in other areas of the pitch so it will be difficult to turn down. I think he’s proved himself to a lot of people and it’s probably from the European stage.

“He’s done well in a lot of the games, he’s not been that prolific against Celtic and in some of the big SPL games but I think on the European stage he’s really come up trumps and scored a lot of goals.”

That would be a huge offer, and one that is unlikely to be forthcoming at this current time. The pandemic that has engulfed the planet will put restraints on what clubs can spend this summer, and despite scoring 77 goals in 137 matches and 29 last season alone, £20m for a player from the Scottish Premiership may be just too much of a risk.

Having said that, the Gers should not let him go cheaply, either – they could still get more than his £10.8m Transfermarkt value. It remains to be seen where Morelos ends up this summer.

Let us know what you think below!

Celtic announced the departure of out-of-contract duo Johnny Hayes and Jozo Simunovic earlier this week with their manager Neil Lennon waxing lyrical about the pair.

He said: “Both leave Celtic as nine-in-a-row champions. It’s an achievement they richly deserve and something I know they will cherish dearly. I would like to sincerely thank both Jozo and Jonny, brilliant lads who have given their all to Celtic over a number of years.”

And it appears as if the Bhoys chief-in-command has already found a replacement for the Croatian centre-back – if fresh reports are to be believed.

According to The Herald, Celtic are monitoring Hellas Verona defender Pawel Dawidowicz to take Simunovic’s place as the main challenge to first-choice pairing Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien.

It’s claimed that the Hoops would need to ‘stump up some cash’ in order to lure him to Parkhead with a £1.4m being mentioned in the report.

The 6 foot 2 colossus is under contract for another two years at the Serie A outfit, where he has made just six starts for them this term. He’s also able to play in defensive akin to Ajer.

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Per WhoScored, the Poland international has averaged 1.8 clearances, 1.8 aerial duels won and 1.1 tackles in his 14 total appearances.

Lennon decided to not take the option up on Simunovic for next season, meaning the Glasgow giants are certainly in need of adding some strength in depth in that department.

Whether that will be Dawidowicz remains to be seen.

AND in other news, Celtic tipped to sign 29-goal sharpshooter but only on ONE condition…

Celtic fans have been discussing their former left-back, Emilio Izaguirre, on social media after the club’s official Twitter account wished him a happy 34th birthday.

The Honduras international departed Glasgow for his home country in the summer after eight seasons at Celtic Park.

Over the course of his Bhoys career, Izaguirre racked up 271 appearances, scoring five goals as well as providing 48 assists, via Transfermarkt.

Only real Celtic fans will get 100% on the Ultimate Hoops quiz. Test your knowledge below…

During his debut season, he clinched the SPFA, SFWA and the SPFL Player of the Year award before winning seven titles.

His game time quickly diminished following the emergence of Kieran Tierney at the club so he moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Fayha, but he soon returned to the Scottish giants after cutting his time short in the country.

He is clearly adored by much of the Hoops faithful with many lauding him on Twitter.

Here’s how they have been reacting to his birthday…

AND in other news, Celtic fans drool over Scott Brown footage…

Although Leeds have been enjoying a blistering season in the Championship – with promotion looking promising at the end of this season – we can still put the team under a magnifying glass and pick out those who have fallen behind the pack.

Unsurprisingly, there have been a couple of players who haven’t been up to scratch…

Ouasim Bouy

The 26-year-old’s 2019/20 season perhaps couldn’t have gone any worse after he was reportedly told he would not be playing for Leeds again. Bouy has had a difficult career with the Yorkshire side but it seemed this season was the turning point for Marcelo Bielsa to call the final straw.

According to Phil Hay, the Dutchman is training at completely different times to the first team and Leeds are now desperate to get him off their books.

Bouy’s market value is also the lowest it’s ever been whilst with the Whites, extremely disappointing from a player whose agent also manages the likes of Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland.

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Jamie Shackleton

It’s always nice when English clubs can nurture homegrown talent and watch them grow into a top footballer. Frustratingly, this season hasn’t been a career-defining one for 20-year-old Jamie Shackleton.

In his first senior season for Leeds, the youngster managed to get himself two assists after playing an average of just 23 minutes in 19 games. However, with a bit more responsibility this campaign, it may have proven all too much for Shackleton.

The Englishman has started four matches out of 14 but hasn’t registered a single goal or assist for his side. In those four starting appearances, Shackleton lost the ball 29 times and made just three key passes.

Similar in age, West Brom’s Kyle Edwards is also being integrated into the first team and has scored two goals and has averaged a higher passing accuracy (84.6%) than Shackleton (83.2%).

Age is on his side, but if the 20-year-old wants to follow in similar paths to young English talent like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jadon Sancho he must pull his socks up.

What do you think, Leeds fans? Do you agree with the above or has there been worse performers this season?

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West Ham United fans have let out all of their frustration at goalkeeper Roberto after another error-strewn performance.

The Spanish stopper conceded three times as Tottenham Hotspur ran out 3-2 winners at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The first goal came from Son Heung-Min, who sent a powerful effort into the bottom corner, though it appeared to be close to the goalkeeper and within a saveable distance.

The second goal was Lucas Moura’s, as he slid in to meet Son’s cross and convert, while Roberto appeared to dive past Harry Kane’s header for the third.

The stopper, of course, is currently deputising for Lukasz Fabianski, the first-choice goalkeeper who is out until next year due to a torn hip muscle.

He has yet to keep a clean sheet in the league, though, and is also yet to be on the winning side; the Hammers have lost to Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle United, Burnley and now Spurs while he has been in goal, while also drawing with Bournemouth and Sheffield United.

And fans have used Saturday’s performance as a reason to unload their criticisms of the Spaniard.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!