All posts by n8rngtd.top

Some Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news that the Reds have lost a significant amount of money in the past year, with lots of negativity on show.

It has been an extremely tough year around the world, with the virus affecting day-to-day life to a level rarely seen in modern history.

Football, like nearly every other industry, has taken a major financial hit in that time, with fans largely not allowed inside stadiums and clubs losing huge amounts of matchday revenue.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

Liverpool have struggled both on and off the pitch since clinching their maiden Premier League title, missing having supporters inside Anfield and seeing the defence of their crown fizzle out in miserable fashion.

On Tuesday, the club announced their financial results over the past 12 months, with The Athletic’s James Pearce confirming a pre-tax loss of £46million.

Liverpool fans frustrated by £46m losses

It is no great surprise, considering the impact the virus has had, but that hasn’t stopped a number of Liverpool supporters voicing their frustration.

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter.

“30 year old Thiago for £25m and £200k p/w, someone who is good at the economics please help me budget this. My football club is dying”

Credit: @NoSwearingHere7

“We are not signing anyone this summer lads”

Credit: @Gbemiga_A

“This is just letting everyone know we’re not signing a single player this summer”

Credit: @rinangelz

“Lost £46m already and that’s only 3 months of the pandemic”

Credit: @archielfc

“There goes our summer budget”

Credit: @RebelYelliex

“Well the success was fun for 3 years. No chance FSG will dip into their own pocket and fund anything this summer”

Credit: @JamieRamsey_

In other news, some Liverpool fans are desperate for the Reds to sign one exciting attacker this summer. Find out who it is here.

GOAL has put together a stellar line-up made up solely of players from countries that failed to qualify for this year's finals

Qualification is not yet complete for the 2022 World Cup, with three spots still up for grabs, but we already know that some of the game's greatest players won't be travelling to Qatar.

Indeed, GOAL has been able to put together a stellar line-up comprised solely of superstars who will be sitting at home when the tournament gets under way later this year.

You can check out our adventurous 3-4-3 formation below and feel free to post your own selections in the comment box provided….

• Getty
  

  GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma

  It's a real shame that we won't get to see Slovakia and Atletico Madrid ace Jan Oblak at the finals but the absence of Gianluigi Donnarumma is even more shocking.

  After all, the giant goalkeeper was named player of the tournament at Euro 2020, after playing a key role in Italy's surprise triumph.

  Donnarumma, though, was powerless to prevent the Azzurri from sensationally failing to qualify for Qatar, with Roberto Mancini's side upset by North Macedonia in the play-offs.

  The Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper is still only 23 and should get plenty more chances to grace a World Cup but elimination was the last thing he needed right now, given his poor form and ongoing struggle too establish himself at the Parc des Princes this season.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  CB: Milan Skriniar

  Slovakia may have finished third in their UEFA qualifying group but they didn't really come close to securing even a play-off berth.

  It's a shame for Milan Skriniar, who played every minute of his nation's unsuccessful campaign.

  The much-coveted Inter defender is widely regarded as one of the finest centre-backs in the game today but the 27-year-old may never get the chance to compete in a World Cup.

• Getty
  

  CB: Giorgio Chiellini

  Giorgio Chiellini was almost at a loss for words after Italy's shock 1-0 loss to North Macedonia, admitting he was "crushed" by his nation's failure to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup.

  It's easy to understand why. The veteran centre-back will turn 38 later this year. Chiellini may have played a pivotal role in Italy's emotional Euro 2020 victory but he will never get another chance to take to the game's greatest stage.

  That's good news for forwards all over the world, of course, but a blow for neutrals, who felt one of the great defenders of the modern era deserved to bring the curtain down on his international career at World Cup 2022.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  CB: David Alaba

  We could have put David Alaba in several positions in this team. The Real Madrid ace is that versatile. And he's that good.

  It was tough, then, to see Austria beaten in the UEFA play-offs by Wales, as there is now a very real prospect that Alaba will never play in a World Cup.

  At 29, he should definitely have one more crack at qualification, but it's worth pointing out that Austria haven't made it to a finals since 1998.

Rangers will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in the Premiership as they take on St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday evening, with Steven Gerrard’s side now just four games away from an invincible league season.

The Light Blues are fresh from success in the Old Firm derby after winning 2-0 at Ibrox at the weekend and will be in a confident mood ahead of the first of two games against Callum Davidson’s side this week.

So far this season, Rangers have recorded comfortable victories against the Saints, winning 3-0 twice in 2020 before a 1-0 triumph at Ibrox back in February. However, Davidson’s side have won four of their last five games and will undoubtedly be eyeing an upset on Wednesday night.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Gerrard to line up at McDiarmid Park, with two changes from the side which started the Old Firm derby on Sunday…

After another superb display in the Old Firm derby at the weekend, in which he saved a penalty from Odsonne Edouard, McGregor keeps his place in goal.

There is one change in defence as, despite another excellent performance against the Hoops, Nathan Patterson is dropped to the bench, with captain James Tavernier – hailed as “fantastic” by former Ibrox ace Graham Roberts – making his return from injury at right-back.

Joe Aribo reverts to midfield alongside Glen Kamara and Steven Davis, with Scott Arfield dropping to the bench as Gerrard goes with a more attacking line-up than last time out.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

This allows Ianis Hagi to start on the right wing, where Aribo had featured on Sunday, and the Romanian supports Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos in attack for this one.

In other news… Allen masterclass: “Terrific” Rangers beast’s value has risen 275% since joining 

Many Everton fans have been left to slam the display of Alex Iwobi in their 2-2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Friday night.

Two goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson were not enough in the end as two defensive errors meant that Harry Kane was able to pounce and earn Jose Mourinho’s team a point at Goodison Park.

Nonetheless, Iwobi did not have the best of games for the Merseyside club and was subsequently hauled off just after the hour mark for Seamus Coleman, who immediately made an impact with an assist.

The former Arsenal man lost out on seven out of eight of his duels (87.5%), and also failed to record a single shot on target, successful dribble, key pass or accurate cross, all while losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 12 separate occasions in the game (Sofascore).

Everton fans on Iwobi display

These Toffees supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Blues fan even going as far as to claim that the Nigeria international is ‘awful’:

“How have we given Arsenal nearly £50 million for Walcott and Iwobi if you put them together you still wouldn’t have half a player. #EFC”

Credit: @Tezza_c1878

“Iwobi is stealing a living with us #EFC”

Credit: @Toffeeman2010

“Coleman doing more in 2 minutes than Iwobi done in 60. He offers us nothing #EFC”

Credit: @Ball86T

“Iwobi really doesn’t have a future at the club. Add him to the list #EFC”

Credit: @nickjones314

“A truly woeful signing gone off. Brands will do well to recover from Iwobi #efc”

Credit: @BlueDanEFC

“Iwobi must be like Ronaldo in training because he’s consistently awful on a match day! What’s he done to start?!!! #EFC #EVETOT”

Credit: @ridroberts

In other news, find out what transfer plans have left EFC fans fuming here!

A host of potential future superstars will be on show in Poland as teams from around the globe look to emulate 2017 winners England

• Getty
  

  Agustin Almendra | Argentina

  Both the brain and the engine of the Albiceleste's midfield, the Boca Juniors man is looking to make up for lost time after missing the Under-20 South American Championship in January through injury.

  Equally adept at creating the tempo of the game with his passing as he is at breaking up the opposition's play, Almendra has emerged as a target for Napoli, and impressive performances in Poland could see him secure a switch to Serie A.

Advertisement

• Leonardo Campana | Ecuador

  The top scorer at this year's Under-20 South American Championship with six goals, Campana led Ecuador to a surprise title in Chile with his ruthless finishing.

  He may not be the most pleasing forward on the eye, but his ability to find the net with regularity means he has reportedly appeared on the radar of Atletico Madrid and Inter.

• Getty
  

  Moussa Diaby | France

  Having enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Paris Saint-Germain, making 25 Ligue 1 appearances, Diaby heads to Poland as the man whom France believe will be able to fire them to glory.

  Most comfortable playing off the left-hand side, he possesses a willingness to beat a man and drive into the box. A real handful for defenders.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Florentino | Portugal

  Nineteen-year-old Florentino has established himself within the Benfica first team during their run to the Portuguese title, and has already been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Barcelona.

  A deep-lying midfielder, he is adept at winning the ball back and distributing passes and should be one to watch in Poland.

The France international leads the charts after finalising an €80 million (£68m/$90m) move, but who else ranks near the top?

• Getty
  

  25. LUCAS ALARIO

  Transfer fee: €24 million (£20m/$27m) | from River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen | Season 2017/18

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  22. ARJEN ROBBEN

  Transfer fee: €25 million (£21m/$28m) | from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich | Season 2009/10

• Getty
  

  22. THIAGO ALCANTARA

  Transfer fee: €25 million (£21m/$28m) | from Barcelona to Bayern Munich | Season 2013/14

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  22. ANDRIY YARMOLENKO

  Transfer fee: €25 million (£21m/$28m) | from Dynamo Kiev to Borussia Dortmund | Season 2017/18

Speaking to Football Insider, after it emerged that GSB and West Ham are keeping tabs on Torino star Andrea Belotti (Corriere Granta), pundit and Sky Sports regular Paul Robinson has been wowed by the Irons and their progress as a club as they target more prestigious players.

Belotti, who has been at the centre of interest from the likes of Tottenham in recent years, is now reportedly on the radar of West Ham as GSB weigh up striking options for next season.

Scoring 27 goals so far over the last two Serie A campaigns (WhoScored), the Torino captain has a €100 million (£86.4m) release clause but Football Italia claim he could be made available for around £30m as he enters the final year of his deal.

Robinson wowed by West Ham as they eye Belotti

After it emerged that West Ham are now one of the clubs weighing up a move, Robinson heaped praise on the Hammers whilst believing it is evidence of how far they have come as a team this season.

“Belotti would be a great signing,” explained the former England international to Football Insider.

“The fact that we are even talking about this tells you that West Ham are a different proposition in the transfer market under David Moyes.

“They have an identity now, they look like a completely different team and they are no doubt an attractive proposition for any player.

“West Ham are a team that will be challenging for the top-five, top-six spots now and it means they will be looking at a different level of player.

“I think Spurs were looking at Belotti shortly before they signed Vinicius.”

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not West Ham end up landing the 32-cap Italy international remains to be seen, but Robinson could be correct in his verdict about the Irons.

The fact they now seem to be targeting more prestigious players could come as evidence as to how well they have done under Moyes this season.

If they manage to secure the dream in Champions League qualification at the end of the campaign, we can expect more similar reports to emerge.

In other news: West Ham fans erupted at this ‘fantastic news’, find out more here.

Ahead of Saturday's final between Real Madrid and Liverpool in Kiev, Goal looks back at the most disappointing aspects of this season's tournament

• ANDREAS SOLARO
  

  1Barca's away-day blues

  Barcelona recorded a domestic double, with their only defeat in La Liga coming after they had already wrapped up the title. 

  The 2017-18 season must go down as a success for new coach Ernesto Valverde, who helped the Catalan club recover from the shock loss of Neymar to PSG, and a resounding and concerning Supercopa defeat by Real Madrid.

  However, Barca once again came up short in the Champions League. Their second-leg collapse at the Stadio Olimpico was undoubtedly shocking but that they were beaten away from home was wholly unsurprising.

  Indeed, Barca have lost four of their past five away games in the knockout stage, by a combined score of 0-12, with their only goal coming in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea in this season's last 16.

  The Catalans, thus, have serious issues to address, both in attack and defence, if they are to challenge for a sixth European Cup next year.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  2Buffon lets himself down

  One can understand why Juventus Gianluigi Buffon reacted so emotionally to Michael Oliver awarding Real Madrid a contentious penalty in the dying seconds of normal time in an absorbing quarter-final second-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

  After wiping out a 3-0 deficit, the Bianconeri deserved extra time and were understandably crushed when it became apparent they would instead be eliminated by a penalty from the nerveless Cristiano Ronaldo. 

  However, Buffon nonetheless stepped over the line with his furious outburst at the match official. Even then, it could have been dismissed as 'heat-of-the-moment' stuff but Buffon made matters far worse by launching into a very public tirade against Oliver after the full-time whistle.

  It was most unbecoming of a man who has always been renowned for his sense of sportsmanship and fair play, and the hypocrisy of the Juve captain complaining so furiously about a referee's decisions was not lost on the supporters of Old Lady's many rivals.

  Thankfully, the goalkeeping great belatedly apologised for saying Oliver had a "dustbin for a heart" but by that stage, the damage had been done, both to Oliver, who was subjected to death threats, and Buffon's reputation.

• Getty
  

  3Paris Saint-Germain

  This was meant to be Paris Saint-Germain's year.

  Last summer, the Qatari-funded club obliterated the transfer fee world record by paying €222 million to secure the release of Neymar from his Barcelona contract, before then taking Kylian Mbappe on loan from Monaco on the proviso that they would sign the teenage sensation at the end of the season for approximately €180m.

  It was clear that PSG, more than ever before, had the players to win the Champions League. Unfortunately, it ultimately transpired that they still don't have the requisite character.

  A year after their embarrassing capitulation at Camp Nou, they suffered a meek exit at the hands of Real Madrid at the same stage. 

  Neymar's injury played a part of course but, during that dismal second-leg loss at the Parc des Princes, it was clear that PSG still had neither the intelligence (see Marco Verratti's stupid sending-off) nor the bravery (see Unai Emery's negative tactics) to win the club game's most prestigious prize.

  With Neymar having already grown tired of Paris, and Thomas Tuchel feeling like a rather uninspiring replacement for Emery, PSG's Champions League-obsessed owners have a tough job on their hands convincing the footballing world that their plans for world domination can still be realised.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  4Ill-disciplined & inconsistent Dybala

  Paulo Dybala is a lucky boy.

  The Juventus striker may have netted a career-high 22 Serie A goals this season but he did not play with anything like the same consistency as Mauro Icardi, yet he made the Argentina squad for this summer's World Cup while his compatriot did not.

  Furthermore, while Inter captain Icardi inspired his side to Champions League qualification, Dybala deserted his team when they needed him most, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid.

  Dybala's senseless dismissal for a second yellow card paved the way for a rampant Blancos side to rack up a third unanswered goal in Turin, which ultimately proved decisive. 

  Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli has called Dybala an "anarchic talent" and it is a fair point: it is high time that the 24-year-old complements his exceptional skills and wonderful left foot with greater composure and consistency.

According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are interested in signing on-loan Sunderland defender Dion Sanderson.

Black Cats face fight to keep Sanderson

Sanderson has spent the campaign on loan at the Stadium of Light and has impressed as the Black Cats eye promotion to the Championship. Such has been the level of his performances, they are even said to have opened talks with parent club Wolves over a potential permanent deal – the Premier League outfit are believed to be looking for £2m (Daily Mail).

However, it now seems that Sunderland’s bitter northeast rivals Newcastle are also interested in the 21-year-old.

Blow to Sunderland

As much as Sunderland fans may hate to admit it, Newcastle will be a more exciting proposition at the moment. After all, they are in the top flight and, with the right manager, they have the tools to move up the Premier League table.

However, Lee Johnson will no doubt be looking to do all he can to make sure Sanderson is still at Sunderland next term. In the 25 League One matches he has played for them this season, they have managed 11 clean sheets, and his introduction to the starting XI on a regular basis has coincided with the Wearside outfit staking a real claim for promotion (Transfermarkt).

Sanderson’s future at the club may be linked to Sunderland’s performances. If they are unable to move up to the Championship, there will be little reason for him stay – but promotion could well change that.

In other news, many Sunderland fans slammed this man’s performance against Charlton.

Aston Villa must seize their perfect chance to sell Bjorn Engels amid reported transfer interest from Royal Antwerp.

What’s the story?

The £55,000-a-week centre-back has been a complete outcast at Villa Park this season, barely featuring for Dean Smith’s side in the Premier League – in fact, he’s yet to make a single competitive appearance in any competition in 2020/21.

His time at the club could soon be over, with Belgian publication Voetbalkrant saying (via Sport Witness) that Antwerp are eyeing a summer move for the 26-year-old as they look to bring him back to his native Belgium.

The report added that a deal for Engels to leave is “inevitable”, and that Antwerp are at the front of the line for a deal. It was even suggested that Villa would be prepared to sell him for very little just to get him off their books.

Sawiris surely buzzing

It comes as no surprise, then, that former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Engels’ career at the club is over, insisting that he just doesn’t have the qualities needed to succeed in the Premier League.

The 34-year-old said earlier this year: “It’s time for him to move on. The problem with the Premier League now is you have to have pace in defence. Unless you’re an unbelievable defender and you can read the game unbelievably you need to have the pace at the back.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy” title=”Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news”]

“That’s what Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause allow you. If they make a mistake they’ve got the pace to make up for it. If they’re left one-on-one they’ve got the pace to stop the attacker.

“The problem with Engels is that if he’s left one-on-one he hasn’t got that pace so he’s going to get found out a bit. That’s what it is, it’s one of those things.”

With Antwerp now showing interest in taking him off Villa’s hands this summer, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens will surely be buzzing that one of the club’s highest earners could well be off their books way before his contract comes to an end in the Midlands.

Given that he’s yet to play at all this season for Smith, letting him go for whatever fee is presented just seems like the perfect eventuality for all parties concerned.

Meanwhile, Villa must sell this first team ace in the summer…