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Everton could be set to be involved in a Premier League transfer tussle for Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer this summer if reports are to be believed and it’s led to fans discussing the potential deal on social media.

According to 90min, the Toffees are one of several clubs eyeing up a move for the Norweigen colossus with the likes of Manchester City, Wolves and believed-to-be front-runners Leicester City all keen.

It’s claimed that Brendan Rodgers is keen on reuniting with the 22-year-old but will face stiff competition to land him.

Ajer has played 49 times this campaign, primarily in the centre but also at right-back and he even started out his career in midfield before dropping back.

Carlo Ancelotti currently has several options to call upon in his defensive ranks, including Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate.

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It remains to be seen what sort of fee Ajer would command. Transfermarkt value him at just £2.43m whilst reports from Italy said in March that the SPFL champions would want €40m (£35.8m) amid interest from Milan.

Some supporters have been comparing the Celtic man to their English counterpart whilst others would very much love to see him arrive at Goodison Park.

Here’s how the Toffees faithful have been reacting…

AND in other news, Everton fans destroy ex-player Ashley Williams on Twitter…

علّق جوردان هندرسون لاعب فريق ليفربول على تأهلهم الصعب إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا، مساء اليوم في الجولة الأخيرة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وفاز ليفربول على كريستال بالاس بهدفين دون رد، في الجولة الثامنة والثلاثين من البطولة في ملعب الأنفيلد. أهداف مباراة ليفربول وكريستال بالاس

وأنهى ليفربول بذلك مشواره في الدوري الإنجليزي لهذا الموسم في المركز الثالث، حاصلًا على بطاقة التأهل إلى دوري الأبطال.

وقال هندرسون في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس” العالمية: “كان من المهم أن ننهي الموسم بالفوز ونتأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا، في نهاية اليوم بعد ما مررنا به هذا الموسم، فإنها نتيجة جيدة”.

وأضاف: “الجماهير تصنع فرقًا كبيرًا، مع وجود المشجعين هنا يكون الأمر مميزًا للغاية، كانوا رائعين والأولاد كانوا كذلك”.

وواصل: “اللعب بدون جماهير يجعل كرة القدم رياضة مختلفة تمامًا، لكن عليك أن تتأقلم، لكننا أنجزنا المهمة ونعلم في الموسم المقبل أننا بحاجة إلى أن نكون أفضل”.

وأردف: “آمل أن أكون لائقًا للمشاركة في بطولة يورو، لقد كنت أعمل بجد، أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة، أريد أن أكون مستعدًا لتلك البطولة”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

It looks as if some doubt is finally creeping into his mind.

And depending on who you ask, that’s either a really good thing or a really bad thing. Fulham’s goal on the weekend came as a result of yet another horrendous error by Blues goalkeeper Lee Camp.

What’s he said?

Although he insisted that there was a foul on defender Marc Roberts whilst the ball was up in the air, Blues manager Pep Clotet spoke after the game and said that he would have to consider whether or not there was indeed any blame that could be attached to Camp on this situation:

“I need to speak with Darryl [Flahavan] the goalkeeper coach and ask his opinion but you would take it that the ‘keeper needs to catch that ball or put it out.”

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Could change be in the air?

It’s no secret if you’re a regular to FFC that Camp has been the subject of much debate on these pages due to the number of points that he continues to cost the Blues, and it’s something that even the fans have questioned throughout the campaign.

He’s been an ever-present figure this term and after making mistakes against Leeds United, Derby County, Wigan Athletic and now this one against Fulham, it looks as if Clotet is finally starting to realise that he might not be up to the task after all.

This latest error could not have come at a worse time for Camp with the international break upon us.

Now the club have two weeks to really sit down and think about the goalkeeping situation, not just for this season, but for the long term as well. Birmingham have got a couple of young goalkeepers on their books like Moha Ramos and Connal Trueman, who will both be eager to try and make that breakthrough into the first team.

If the Blues are to make a change, now is the best time to do it. Give them a full two weeks of getting used to the first team, a nice settling in period and then they’ll be ready to go when the club returns in a fortnight to face Huddersfield.

Winston Reid has had a troubling time with injury over the last two years but West Ham fans have taken time to discuss the service he has provided to the club since he joined in 2010.

Many appreciate the contribution of the centre-back over the last few years, with his winning goal against Millwall in 2012 and a goal against Manchester United in the last match at Upton Park two stand-out moments.

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It is impossible for some to share their view on the New Zealand international without passing comment on his injury issues, which is a shame for Reid, but there is no doubt he has made a lasting impact.

Some fans regard him as one of the best defenders the club has had in recent times, and his longevity – he has made 223 appearances for the Irons despite those injury woes – is testament to that.

As a result, an argument has been made that he has been underappreciated and underrated by some sections of the fanbase, though others have admitted that it is unlikely he will ever return to his best form.

Here is some of the discussion taking place amongst West Ham supporters.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Aston Villa face a trip to Manchester this weekend as the Premier League’s reigning champions play host at the Etihad Stadium.

You’d imagine this is their toughest test since opening the season at the Champions League finalists Tottenham, but having picked up back-to-back victories for the first time this campaign, they’ll have every bit of confidence in snatching a result.

After all, Wolves did manage to before the international break.

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After smashing five past Norwich City, Dean Smith’s side saw off Brighton & Hove Albion thanks to late heroics from Matt Targett.

The summer arrival was found with a deft ball from captain Jack Grealish in the 94th minute before he managed to slot home from an acute angle.

On the Chalkboard

Targett has been an influential player on the left-flank since making his long-awaited debut against Burnley.

In his three Premier League appearances, the 24-year-old has improved game-by-game in terms of rating, and even that hasn’t dipped below 7.01, per WhoScored.

Basically, Villa are unbeaten when Targett is in the starting line up.

His presence offers the west Midlanders an attacking threat, much more so than Neil Taylor, and this shift in attitude has contributed hugely to their upturn in form.

Aston Villa’s summer signings’ performances so far this season are rated in the video below…

Targett is averaging 2.3 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per game compared to the Welshman’s 0.1 and 0 respectively – that’s quite the contrast.

Even defensively, the former Southampton is offering more with 2.3 interceptions and three clearances per match, via WhoScored.

When taking a look at the previous matches of the pair, the contrasting playing styles between both of them is even more apparent, below are the heatmaps from the Brighton and Arsenal games – the latter being the last game in which Taylor started.

The 30-year-old’s focal point is well behind the halfway line (right image), whereas Targett has a heavily intensive area in the opposition’s half (left image).

This is far more than Taylor does, and he was playing against ten men in that match for the best part of an hour.

Yes, really. That’s how defensive-minded he is.

This is only emphasised when looking at their average playing position, which can be seen below for the same fixtures, via WhoScored.

Targett’s average position is bang on the halfway line (left image), with the Welshman’s being much further back.

With the £9m-rated man being able to bomb forward, it has allowed Grealish a chance to thrive in the final third as he can cut inside knowing the 24-year-old is going to be there out wide.

Their partnership should continue to flourish, and that will give Villa the best chance of success in attack – in the last two matches alone they’ve netted seven goals.

Whereas in their previous seven matches before that, Smith’s side only scored eight.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Manchester City manager and player Stuart Pearce has not backed his old team to win a third consecutive top-flight title, claiming that Liverpool will “comfortably” claim the Premier League trophy.

What did he say?

The Reds lead the way in the Premier League with 25 points from nine games and are the only unbeaten side left in the division. However, their lead was cut from eight points to six at the top after their draw against Manchester United.

City do boast a superior goal difference at the moment with +20 compared to Liverpool’s +15. Despite this, Pearce, who managed the club from 2005 to 2007, believes his old side are not the favourites this time around. The former defender told talkSPORT: “I think Liverpool will win the Premier League comfortably this year.

“I’m not sure they’ll go unbeaten, but I can’t see them losing more than two games. They’re still clear favourites.

“Those could be against Manchester City, potentially, but if you go into the game against your nearest rivals with a six point buffer, it will put real pressure on Man City to come out and play.

“That might just suit Liverpool.”

If there is ever a year, it’s this year

Firstly, it is still tough to believe that the Reds did not win the league title last year, having been top of the table from matchday 16, until City overtook them in matchday 29.

The draw in the Merseyside derby on week 29 put the reigning champions ahead by a point and it remained that way until the season finale. As a result, City would secure back-to-back league trophies and push Liverpool’s wait for a top-flight title to 29 years.

However, they are rightfully so the favourites for watchers like Pearce this year. Jurgen Klopp’s men were resilient and never threw in the towel at Old Trafford recently, which inevitably kept their unbeaten run going and ultimately showed a championship-winning mentality.

There is also the injury to Aymeric Laporte for six months to take under consideration.

The Frenchman was the main man at the back alongside John Stones, and ever since his injury, City have uncharacteristically lost two league games out of five, and it does seem that Laporte’s absence is going to have a significant impact on the title race.

Plus, having opened up a six point lead already, Liverpool should class themselves as the favourite.

The Frenchman was full of praise for his team’s ability to keep fighting in order to get out of a sticky situation.

Celtic rarely find themselves in bad situations domestically, but Ntcham believes that they have a knack of getting themselves out of a hole whenever they end up in trouble.

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The midfielder’s positivity after the draw with Rennes certainly bodes well for the Bhoys’ Europa League campaign, as good morale will be vital when coming up against the more talented squads in the competition.

Earlier this week, Billy Gilmour made his first competitive start for the Chelsea first-team as the Blues took apart Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup by winning 7-1 at Stamford Bridge.

It was a fine performance from a Blues side possessing some of the famed youth that they have at the club and it is certainly apparent that Frank Lampard is willing to use his kids at the moment.

Whether or not Gilmour features in the league much this season is perhaps up for debate, but it is clear that the Glasgow-born player – formerly at Rangers – is on the right path in terms of his progression.

Indeed, Rangers fans should be pleased to see one of their own making his mark at a top Premier League club – though they, of course, would surely prefer him to still be at Ibrox.

Even so, the Rangers ties remain strong with Jordan Jones among those to congratulate Gilmour on Instagram after he posted about his full debut on the social media platform…

/B22iFxnJu1Z/

An exciting moment for the youngster and potentially the first of many as he looks to advance his career at the west London club.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Paul Ince has raised concerns over the consequences Manchester United could face from a season of Europa League football this year.

What did he say?

The Red Devils will be featuring in European football’s second-tier competition this season after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

Whilst Ince praised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for getting rid of players he didn’t want, he questioned whether the side had enough squad depth to compete on multiple fronts this season.

He said: “What worries me about United is, although it’s good that Ole’s stuck to his word and got rid of players, they’re lacking in squad depth. The Europa League is coming round fast, that means Thursday games and Sunday games, how is he going to deal with that?

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“He’s not got a big enough squad for it, look at what happened to Burnley when they played in the Europa, their league form struggled massively. I can see that happening to United.

“Winning the Europa might be their best chance at a Champions League space, so it can’t be taken lightly. It’s hard for players to suddenly start playing on a Thursday night. When they start travelling and coming back and getting tired from these extra matches, I can see another huge dip in their performances in the league.”

Priorities

The biggest thing Solskjaer will have to work out is where the side’s priorities lay. The United boss needn’t look any further than Premier League rivals Arsenal to see the amount of damage a lack of focus can do to a team. The Gunners seemed like they couldn’t decide whether their main target should be a top-four finish or winning the Europa League last season, and in the end, they did neither.

Come the business end of the season, when – and it really should be a case of when not if – United are in the knockout stages of the Europa League, a decision has to be taken in terms of the kind of team they put out. Do they feel they stand a better chance of winning the competition and thus securing Champions League football? Or would they be better off by throwing all their eggs into the Premier League basket and trying to finish inside the top four?

What they end up doing could well turn out to be the most defining decision of United’s season.

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Some Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to joke that Daniel Levy was responsible for the attempted robbery of £1.9m from Amiens’ cut of the Tanguy Ndombele money, after it was reported that hackers had tried to steal from the French club.

Amiens were entitled to £12m of the £65m fee paid by Spurs to Lyon for Ndombele as a result of a sell-on clause.

Some Spurs fans have joked that Levy was the man behind it all due to his usual stinginess when it comes to dealing with transfers – Fulham owner Tony Khan recently shed light on just how difficult Levy is to negotiate with.

Thankfully for the Ligue 1 side, the attempted transfer of the money was blocked and the authorities have since been alerted, but this quite serious incident hasn’t stopped some supporters from having a bit of fun.

One fan said that Levy was ‘up to his old tricks’, whilst another said that the Spurs supremo ‘wants his £1.9m back’.

Let’s take a look at what some more of the Tottenham fans on Twitter have been saying…

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