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[ad_pod ]James Pearce, a reporter for the Liverpool Echo, has provided an update on Robert Firmino as Liverpool trained ahead of the Champions League Final.

The main positive for Liverpool fans is that Firmino looks in fine form, suggesting he’ll lead the line as the Reds look to repair the damage of last season’s 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid after a recent injury scare.

This news should worry Spurs fans as the Brazilian is crucial to how Jurgen Klopp’s side play – he creates space for Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

What one weakness can Spurs exploit against Liverpool in the UCL final? Fans discuss in the video below…

Couple this with the news that Harry Kane has claimed he’ll be fit for Tottenham; the final will have two top-quality strikers on the pitch and that should make for excellent viewing for any neutral.

For fans of both teams though, it is unlikely to be pleasant viewing and will likely be ninety minutes of nail-biting tension.

To win this most prestigious of trophies would be massive for either club and it could also trigger a trophy run.

It certainly feels that Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino need that first title to act as a catalyst for a haul of trophies for their respective clubs.

Firmino’s fitness and sharpness will be an excellent boost to Klopp’s chances of winning that elusive first trophy.

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Former Celtic defender Darren O’Dea reckons Neil Lennon can cope with the high expectations at Celtic Park and be a success during his second spell as manager, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s the story?

Lennon has been offered the role of manager heading into next season and although there’s been no confirmation of his appointment, there’s an expectancy he will be in the dugout at Celtic Park when European qualifiers kick off in July.

There’s a significant amount of pressure on his shoulders after phenomenal recent success at the club, but O’Dea reackons that Lennon can handle it and maintain that level of achievement seen over the last few years.

As quoted by The Daily Record, the 32-year-old said:

Ten-in-a-row is the holy grail. There is no doubt that is where the fans’ attention is. You don’t want to be that guy, the guy who is in charge of the team that loses it. But on the flipside of that, you would be immortal if you are the guy who manages to do it.

The highs are seriously high, the lows are seriously low. That is part of being a Celtic player or manager and if anyone knows about it, it is Lenny.

You either deal with it or you don’t. Lenny knows how to deal with it. Lenny has coped with it so I don’t see that as a problem. Yes there is enormous pressure but he could come back in 10 years’ time and there would still be enormous pressure.

He has been successful, he can do the job. It was just whether Celtic felt they would give the job to him. I have no worries about whether he will do well or not – he will do well.

Watch a tribute to Celtic’s late Lisbon Lion and greatest ever captain, Billy McNeill in the video below…

High standards

Unless Celtic make significant progress in Europe, there’s really not much more Lennon can do in the job beyond what has already been achieved by his predecessor Brendan Rodgers.

Building a squad capable of winning a domestic treble three years in a row is a magnificent achievement.

Lennon of course played a part in the final part of that success, but the expectation is that he continues this after rebuilding his team this summer.

Being offered the job has certainly raised eyebrows, with some fans craving a big name manager to come in, but Lennon is no slouch when it comes to generating his own Celtic success.

Winning record

To date Lennon has been in charge of 241 matches as Celtic manager, winning an incredible 169 of them. That means he’s won 70.1% of all his matches since first landing the job in 2010. It’s an incredible record that puts him right up there with the Celtic greats.

It’s actually an even higher winning percentage than Brendan Rodgers, who won 69.8% of his matches between 2016 and 2019.

The two records are remarkably similar, so any worried Celtic fans should heed O’Dea’s words and the evidence of Lennon’s record at the club and be prepared to win the vast majority of their matches again next term.

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Newcastle want to sign Birmingham hotshot Che Adams and the Toon Army are absolutely loving it.

The Magpies seem to be cursed when it comes to finding strikers. The Mike Ashley era has seen the likes of Emmanuel Rivière, Seydou Doumbia and Aleksandar Mitrovic come and go, each to little or no success.

They seemed to have finally found their man in Salomon Rondon this season, but the Venezuelan international was only at the club on a temporary basis.

Now, with the famous number nine shirt vacant, Football League World claim the club is eyeing a move for Adams.

The Birmingham youngster enjoyed a superb season in the Championship, netting 22 times and also adding four assists.

Quite simply, the lad is a natural goalscorer, and the report claims a source close to the 22 year-old has revealed Newcastle’s interest.

The Magpies are said to be “keen admirers” of the breakout star, and the Twitter reactions down below are desperate for this move to come to fruition…

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Steven Gerrard’s Rangers are looking to sign George Edmundson from Oldham Athletic, with Sky Sports reporting that the youngster handed in a transfer request last month. So, what do we know about the English defender?

Who is he?

Edmundson is 21 years of age, standing at 6 ft 3, and is currently playing his football in League Two for Oldham.

The Latics’ number four has been out on loan at Ramsbottom United, Alfreton Town and AFC Fylde, but in 2018 Edmundson returned to Boundary Park to become a regular in the line-up. The club did get relegated from League One during his time in the first team, however.

He’s now been linked with a move to Rangers as a reward for his performances, though Derby County are also said to be interested in signing the centre-half.

Former Latics Manager Frankie Bunn commented on the youngster when he signed a new deal with Oldham last year saying: “It’s a good reward for an up-and-coming player with potential, he’s been excellent since we’ve been here.

“His enthusiasm, dedication and playing ability has warranted this new deal.

“For other youngsters at the club they can aspire to what George has done, he has worked hard to do it.

“I have told him he can’t rest on his laurels, he’s not the finished article yet and there is more to come.”

How does he play?

Edmundson comes in the mould of many young, modern centre-backs.

He’s a towering figure with a stocky build as well, making him very difficult to dispossess or to win a 50-50 challenge against. Perhaps people would assume that this takes away from his ball skill, but that would be very incorrect. In fact, the defender is very comfortable playing out from the back and picking out clever passes into midfield, and has even bagged himself the odd goal and a few assists as well.

He’s strong in the air and uses his pace effectively as well. It’s no surprise he’s being looked at by one of the top clubs in Scottish football, and Gerrard may feel he can nurture him into a more mature centre-back for the future.

2018-19 in numbers

Edmundson has registered some very impressive stats over his previous campaign with Oldham. The youngster made 45 starts for the League Two side, scoring two goals and even securing five assists – a phenomenal tally for a young centre-back.

His performances have earned him a place in The Guardian’s team of the season as well as the official EFL’s League Two team of the year, which is an impressive achievement considering the youngster played in a side that finished 14th and conceded 60 goals.

Anyone enjoyed a similar path?

James Tarkowski: Once a young defender at Oldham Athletic, much like Edmundson, but now he’s enjoying his football in the Premier League with Burnley. He’s earned England caps as well since signing for the Clarets, and remains an inspiration for players in the lower leagues hoping to make it at the highest level of English football.

When will we see him?

Edmundson is being hotly monitored by Rangers, but the youngster has also attracted Derby, so it remains to be seen where he’ll move this summer, if he does at all. For now though, he’s still playing his football in England, though he may have his big move to Scotland confirmed if Gerrard and his staff can agree a deal to bring the youngster to Ibrox.

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John Aldridge has urged Liverpool to swoop for Tottenham Hotspur winger Lucas Moura this summer, per The Irish Independent.

What’s he said?

Lucas, of course, enjoyed a superb season for Spurs, particularly in Europe, as he scored the hat-trick that sent the club to the Champions League final.

His treble against Ajax – the final goal of which came in the last minute of injury time – sent the north London side to Madrid, where they lost 2-0 to the Reds.

However, Lucas was left on the bench for that game, with Harry Kane picked to start in his place after shaking off an ankle injury.

And Aldridge believes that the Brazilian could be convinced to move to Anfield this summer as a cheap alternative to mooted target Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid.

He said: “Antoine Griezmann has been mentioned as a possible target, but he would be a very expensive option as his transfer fee and wages would be extravagant for a player who would expect to start every week.

“So I wonder whether Lucas Moura could be prised away from Tottenham, as he had to be a little bemused to be left out of their Champions League final starting line-up after he scored a fantastic hat-trick in the semi-final against Ajax.

“Moura is a tricky forward who could slot into the team if any of the front three were out and the same could be said of his team-mate Son Heung-min, although I would be surprised if Spurs allowed the South Korean to leave after his outstanding season.”

Opportunity sensed

Aldridge probably wouldn’t be making this argument if Lucas had started in the final. As he says, he could well have been a “little bemused” to be left out and one feels he would add some excellent depth to the Reds’ attack.

Clubs could well sense the same opportunity as Aldridge, to potentially make a move for Moura this summer, but Tottenham are very unlikely to sell to a divisional rival – excepting Kyle Walker’s move to Manchester City, the last top players Spurs let join elite Premier League clubs were Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov back in summer 2008.

Aldridge is unlikely to get his way here, then, but he has hit on a potentially important issue. Pochettino’s decision not to start the Brazilian in the Champions League final could well come back to haunt him.

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Following three successive seasons of Championship football and a narrow defeat in the 2018 play-off final, Aston Villa have returned to the top-flight.

Villa have been determined with their summer recruitment having already secured four acquisitions, including a club-record deal for the striker Wesley from Club Brugge and the permanent arrival of playoff hero Anwar El Ghazi. A purposeful start to the summer indeed.

And while the club have been decisive in their transfer conduct, perhaps the most important signing of all has yet to be completed. The Guardian reports that Aston Villa are interested in signing Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu on a season-long loan. The 18-year-old was restricted to a mere five first-team appearances in all competitions last season, yet during his limited outings for the Europa League winners and in his eight international caps for Wales, Ampadu has proven to be a fearless player.

With a combative nature and authoritative demeanour, Ampadu is one of the most promising talents in the Premier League – after all, how many other 18-year-olds have featured regularly for their country and stuck themselves on the periphery of a top four squad? Whenever he plays, the Wales international is in constant dialogue with teammates on the pitch, instructing more senior players where to position themselves. For such an inexperienced player, Ampadu plays with a staggering degree of maturity.

Proficient at either centre-half or at the base of midfield – where he thrives for Wales – the teenager displays an excellent understanding of the game, but he’s also so comfortable in possession. He can deliver intelligent and measured passes and his passing accuracy in Europe last season was a whopping 91.6%.

The fans in the video below had some very strong words for Michel Platini who was detained over alleged corruption this week…

Not many 18-year-olds shoulder such importance on the international stage as Ampadu. The Chelsea youngster has amassed eight international caps and has held his own against the likes of France, Denmark, Spain and Croatia. Wales are a more accomplished side in Ampadu’s presence, a testament to his versatile and refined skill set.

One senses that the youngster requires continuity to further his progression, and a loan move to a team of Villa’s stature and top-flight experience would be hugely beneficial. Dean Smith experimented with a variety of formations in the Championship last campaign, with Villa often alternating between the 4-1-4-1 and 4-4-1-1 formation. Therefore, a player of Ampadu’s versatility and tactical flexibility should be of great use to Villa.

Furthermore, given the departures of Glenn Whelan and Mile Jedinak, Villa’s need for a commanding midfield presence, one that can balance the creativity that John McGinn and Jack Grealish provide, is abundantly clear. The Welshman would be the perfect anchor in Villa’s creative and skilful midfield.

While it remains to be seen whether seemingly soon-to-be Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will look to utilise Ampadu in his squad next season, Villa provide an exciting alternative to the Welshman. The know-how and immense success that John Terry has enjoyed coupled with the presence of other Welsh internationals James Chester and Neil Taylor should make the Villans an attractive proposition for Ampadu.

As Smith embarks on the task of restoring Villa’s former glory, the acquisition of a gifted and courageous young player would be a significant step in the right direction, continuing what has already been a very promising start to the summer transfer window.

Arsenal may be forced to sell Henrikh Mkhitaryan to raise funds needed to sign the players necessary to challenge again, as per The Times.

It’s no secret that Arsenal (understood to have a transfer budget of just £45m) will struggle to match the spending power of their top six rivals. Manchester United reportedly (per Raphael Honingstein on ESPN via the Express) have £200-£250m to spend, while Manchester City and Liverpool, both of whom broken their transfer records last season, aren’t exactly sort of cash.

Unai Emery on the other hand has an estimated £45million at his disposal – which is £11million less than what it cost to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last January. That’s £45million to take his current squad – who finished fifth in the Premier League conceding 51 in the process and were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round and the League Cup in the quarterfinals – past the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Yikes.

It is expected that in order to raise funds to sign the necessary talent, the Gunners will sacrifice a number of players they deem surplus to requirements. And one name in particular who has been highlighted is Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The 30-year-old arrived last January from United as part of a swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez go the other way. The Armenia international, who recently missed the Europa League final due to ongoing political tensions, reportedly (also via the Express) earns around £200,000 per week at Arsenal – the same as his former Borussia Dortmund teammate and Golden Boot winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

However, while Arsenal’s top scorer weighed in at 31 goals and eight assists last term, thus proving his worth, Mkhitaryan scored just six times and fell desperately short in the creative department too, providing just seven; an output that will surely have the club questioning how necessary he is to their future plans.

Slated by Ian Wright on Sky Sports (via HITC) towards the end of the season, who described his move to North London as a ‘nightmare’, they should take any potential money and run.

Arsenal fans, would you be disappointed to see Mkhitaryan go? Who would you sacrifice? Let us know in the comments 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…

According to The Times, Wolves are interested in signing Brentford’s Ezri Konsa this summer.

What’s the word?

It seems as though Wolves will be in the market for a central defender this summer after Wolves Bite claimed that was an area they’d target.

The Midlands outfit have regularly preferred a back three under Nuno Santo, which has predominantly been made up of Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Ryan Bennett.

However, that area of the pitch will need more depth next season after they were forced to field Romain Saiss there on occasion.

And Konsa looks like he could be the answer to Wolves’ problems.

He has been the subject of interest from the club per The Times who suggest they are set to pay £12m to bring him to Molineux.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Hause replacement

Earlier in the window, Wolves lost talented defender Kortney Hause to Aston Villa. The centre-back was impressive during his loan spell with the Villains in the back end of 2018/19, winning a colossal 4.7 aerial duels per game.

At the age of 23, he was one of Wolves’ rising defenders, although he never got a chance to prove himself in the Premier League, failing to make an appearance.

Ahead of what could be an arduous season for Nuno and his side, he arguably could still have played a part.

Yet, they may already have his replacement lined up.

Like Hause, Konsa was brilliant in the Championship last season and at 21 years of age, is another hugely promising central defender.

As a result, he could quite comfortably fill the void left behind by the departing Hause, although if he joins for £12m, one would expect him to start more regularly.

Gareth Bale to Wolves? Wolves Fan TV discuss how ambitious Nuno Espirito Santo will be this summer in the video below…

In 2018/19, the Brentford centre-back played 42 times in the second tier whilst he also made a solitary substitute appearance at the recent European U21 Championships for England.

Strong in the tackle, he made 1.2 successful challenges a game whilst he displayed his strong composure on the ball, completing 87.7% of his passes.

The majority of Wolves’ central defenders are all relatively experienced so it would be of great benefit for the club to sign another younger prospect after Hause left.

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Some Crystal Palace fans are dead against the idea of signing Fulham and Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michael Seri, especially for the potential fee they are willing to offer.

It has been reported that the Eagles are ready to bid £20m to the west London club in what would be their first purchase using the money from Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s move to Manchester United.

The initial £45m fee generated from the sale of the young English full-back will have Palace fans excited about the prospect of who they are going to spend that money on.

Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But they do not seem too happy with the link to Seri, who contributed just one goal and three assists in 34 appearances for the Cottagers last season.

The 27-year-old came to Craven Cottage from Nice for a club-record fee of around £25m back in the summer of 2018, but he struggled from the start and failed to get to grips with the Premier League.

Are Crystal Palace right to slap a £100m valuation on Wilfried Zaha’s head? Check out the video below to see why they are…

And while some supporters of the Selhurst Park-based team simply don’t want him, others believe a flat fee of £20m is not an acceptable price for the midfielder.

Here is some of the reaction:

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

Atletico Madrid are stepping up their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier, per The Sun.

What’s the word?

The Spanish club are reportedly keen to bring in a new right-back this summer.

And The Sun report that Trippier, who endured a difficult season at Spurs, has emerged as a possible acquisition, along with PSG’s Thomas Meunier.

Indeed, Atleti are said to be seeking a long-term replacement for 34-year-old Juanfran.

Juventus are also credited with an interest in Trippier by the aforementioned report, with Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino set to sanction the departure of the former Manchester City defender this summer.

£25m is the figure mooted in the article, although it’s not clear whether that’s Atletico’s or Tottenham’s valuation of the player.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A great fee

Doing business at £25m is a no-brainer for Spurs.

Trippier enjoyed a fantastic World Cup as England reached the semi-finals, even scoring a majestic free-kick in the last-four clash with Croatia.

But he endured a season that was characterised by sloppy errors, namely a terrible own goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Trippier can quite clearly be upgraded if Spurs wish and a transfer fee of £25m would allow the club to reinvest properly.

Spurs should snap Atleti’s hand off.