Crystal Palace fans react as Alexander Sorloth scores again for Trabzonspor

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Loads of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Alexander Sorloth bagged another goal for Trabzonspor.

The Norway international joined the Turkish side on a two-year loan deal in the summer transfer window, after a turbulent spell in south London which saw him net just a single goal in 20 appearances – he also spent time out on loan with Gent last term.

Presumably surprising some Palace fans who may have written him off due to his awful form, the 23-year-old has now bagged two goals in two games for Trabzonspor with his latest strike helping them progress into the next round of Europa League qualifying.

Sorloth is still fairly young and one feels that his time at Palace isn’t over yet – his encouraging form in Turkey is definitely enough to back that up.

Let’s take a look at how the Palace fans on Twitter reacted to Sorloth’s second goal for Trabzonspor…

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Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot wishes Eric Bailly a speedy recovery following injury setback

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Eric Bailly faces up to five months out following knee surgery for an injury he picked up during Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Tottenham in their pre-season contest.

This will be the fourth time Bailly has been sidelined since joining from Villareal in 2016. The Ivory coasted has missed a total 34 games and spent 159 days out of action (not including the 19 games and 154 days is expected to miss, as per Transfermarkt).

With legs seemingly made from papier mache, Bailly is hobbling his way towards the end of his four-year contract which is set to expire in June next year.

Teammate Diogo Dalot has taken to Instagram in solidarity for his fallen comrade.

He said: “Get well soon my general”

While United have proven to be a loyal bunch recently, having given some fairly questionable extensions to the likes of Ashley Young and Phil Jones this year alone, we’d expect walking wounded Bailly won’t be awarded the same courtesy.

Then again, this is United. Anything is possible.

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Wolves’ Adama Traore looks reborn in a new position, putting Matt Doherty at risk

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

Wolverhampton Wanderers have shown no signs of letting up as they have had to endure a whirlwind start to their 2019/20 season.

But that is merely a by-product of their impressive exploits which secured a seventh-place finish in the Premier League last term.

On Thursday night, Wolves played their fifth Europa League game of the season – and it isn’t even the group stages yet, not to mention it’s still August. In that time, they’ve had just two Premier League fixtures.

A 3-2 victory over quality opposition in Serie A side Torino, on their patch, shows just how well Nuno Santo’s men have adapted to such a quick flurry of matches to open their account.

The very same game saw Adama Traore keep hold of the right wing-back spot ahead of the injured Matt Doherty and after his last 100 minutes or so in that position it could be his to keep – even more so having been withdrawn with just under half an hour to go, possibly with Nuno having an eye on this weekend.

Find out which Premier League stadium has been ranked the worst in the video below…

On the Chalkboard

Traore has undergone some sort of makeover during the offseason with the Portuguese boss seeing him as a wing-back rather than a winger, which he was at Middlesborough, or as a right-sided striker as he played last season for Wolves.

The fans have been raving about the change, the 23-year-old himself has embraced the role and we’re starting to see results because of it.

Against United, he performed three dribbles, had one shot and played a key pass, per WhoScored.

He assisted another goal on Thursday night and probably left Cristian Ansaldi, who has had a respectable career playing with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, with a few recurring nightmares after his electric pace and trickery helped put in a scintillating showing.

He earned an 8/10 in Express & Star’s match ratings, as Tim Spiers hailed his football brain and end product.

The Spaniard has looked impressive further back and must surely have their regular long-serving stalwart Doherty under pressure. Having been at the club since 2010, he started 35 of their 38 Premier League games last season as his place was rarely threatened.

However, by performing as good as he has in the Europa League against their strongest opposition yet, Traore proved that the 45-minute cameo against Manchester United on Monday wasn’t a fluke or a one-off.

Instead, it can go down as the result of the hard work put in by the player himself as well as Nuno.

It’s a masterstroke that we must see more of.

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Rangers fans react to Jurgen Klopp’s comments on Ryan Kent

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Jurgen Klopp has handed out the latest update on Ryan Kent’s future and Rangers fans aren’t quite sure what to make of it.

The Liverpool boss has ruled out the possibility of the 22-year-old winger leaving the club on loan again. The wide-man caught the eye during his temporary stay at Rangers last season, as he was named PFA Young Player of the Year.

After his side’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Napoli, Klopp stated: “The time is over giving him on loan. At a specific age, a player needs to find a place to settle and stuff like this. But we will see. A loan is not planned.”

Steven Gerrard has made no secret of the fact that Kent is a target, but with a loan move off the table, it will mean that interested sides will have to meet the Anfield club’s valuation of Kent. BBC Sport reports that figure to be in the region of £8m.

If that fee were to be met by Gerrard’s men then it would be the third-highest transfer fee in the club’s history.

Fans of the Ibrox side were split on Twitter whether to splash the cash on the skilful winger or not:

ماني يحقق رقمًا مميزًا مع ليفربول بهدفه أمام لايبزيج ويُطارد محمد صلاح

حقق نجم فريق ليفربول ساديو ماني، رقمًا مميزًا بتسجيله هدفًا في المباراة الجارية حاليًا أمام لايبزيج في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في ملعب بوشكاش آرينا، في إطار منافسات ذهاب دور الـ16 من دوري الأبطال.

وتمكن ماني من تسجيل هدف ليفربول الثاني في الدقيقة 58. هدف ماني أمام لايبزيج

وحسب شبكة “أوبتا” العالمية، فإن ماني وصل إلى هدفه رقم 20 مع ليفربول في المسابقات الأوروبية بشكل عام.

وأوضحت أن ماني أصبح خامس لاعب في تاريخ ليفربول يحقق ذلك الرقم.

ويتصدر ستيفن جيرارد قائمة هدافي ليفربول على الصعيد الأوروبي بـ41 هدفًا، ويليه محمد صلاح بـ24 هدفًا، ثم مايكل أوين بـ22 هدفًا، وإيان راش بـ20 هدفًا.

Tottenham confirm Ryan Sessegnon deal

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Football FanCast’s News articles summarise the biggest stories in world football, based on information from other sources.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham, the club have announced.

What’s the word?

The left-back, who can also play as a winger, has been a target for the club throughout the summer transfer window, sources have confirmed.

The 19-year-old has penned a deal until 2025 with the club and has been assigned the No.19 shirt.

Sessegnon played in a Fulham team that were relegated last season but he still managed to score two goals and provide six assists, with one of the latter coming against Spurs.

The north London club have also confirmed that they have sold Josh Onomah to the Cottagers in a deal linked to the one bringing Sessegnon to north London.

Chase bears fruit

Sources have always maintained that Spurs were confident of getting this deal over the line after Mauricio Pochettino identified the versatile full-back as a target.

However, it has been a long and drawn-out process, with talks taking months to actually reach a resolution.

Sessegnon reportedly informed Fulham at the start of the window that he would not be signing a new contract and wanted to move to Spurs.

And they have finally got their man, with reports claiming the deal will cost the club an initial £25m with the potential to rise to £30m.

Pochettino will be a happy man.

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Wolves: Molineux club make offer for Angel Correa

Wolves have reportedly made an offer for Atletico Madrid forward Angel Correa, who is seeking an exit from his current club.

Spanish publication Sport claimed that the La Liga club have received several offers for the 24-year-old, with Wolves among those who have tabled a bid.

According to Sport, Tottenham, AC Milan and Napoli are also interested in the Argentina international as an option to strengthen their respective attacks.

AS reported that Correa has asked to leave Atletico, feeling that the summer arrivals of Joao Felix and Ivan Saponjic will make it even harder for him to get regular gametime at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Correa, who usually plays as either a right-wing forward or second striker, has struggled for goals and regular starts at Atletico since making his debut for the club in 2015.

Last season he managed only three goals in 36 La Liga appearances, 16 of which came from the bench. That was a notable decline from the previous campaign when he started 27 league games, in which he scored a total of eight goals. In his first two seasons in Madrid, Correa had only 18 league starts.

His overall record for Atletico reads just 30 goals in 188 appearances for the club, an average of 0.16 per game. Correa’s 2018/19 return of five goals from 49 appearances does not augur well, averaging only 0.1 per game.

By contrast, the Wolves pair of Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota scored 17 in 44 games and 10 in 37 games respectively, with averages of 0.39 goals per game for Jimenez and 0.27 goals per game for Jota.

However, neither of those play in Correa’s favoured role of right-sided attacker. Last season, Nuno’s options in this position were Helder Costa, Ivan Cavaleiro and Adama Traore.

The former two have since gone on loan to Leeds and Fulham respectively, while Traore managed only one goal from 36 appearances last season, an average of 0.02 per game.

Like Correa, though, Traore relied mainly on substitute appearances, coming off the bench in 21 of his 29 Premier League games, so minutes may be a better comparison than appearances.

In that regard, Traore scored his one goal in 1,255 minutes of gametime. Correa netted five in 2,590 minutes, working out at one goal every 518 minutes.

The dearth of natural right wingers and second strikers at Wolves could be helped by the possible arrival of Correa, whose scoring return is better than that of Traore.

However, according to AS, his release clause is an eye-watering €100million (£89.96m), which would be unheard of for a club like Wolves whose record signing is £30m for the far more prolific Jimenez.

Considering his level of end product at Atletico, Correa’s release clause seems vastly excessive and Wolves would likely get more effective options for a much lower fee, so perhaps it is best for Nuno Espirito Santo to let other clubs battle it out for the 24-year-old Argentina forward.

Wolves fans, do you think Correa would be a worthy addition to Nuno’s squad? Let us know your views by commenting below!

Celtic’s ideal central defensive pairing is starting to take shape

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

Christopher Jullien made his first start for Celtic against Nomme Kalju on Tuesday, and we’re edging ever closer to discovering Neil Lennon’s preferred centre-back partnership.

On the chalkboard

Lennon has opted for a flexible back-three this summer, with Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo marauding down the left-hand side as a wing-back. This has meant Kristoffer Ajer has been playing as a mixture of right-back and centre-half, with Jozo Simunovic and converted-midfielder Nir Bitton in the middle.

Simunovic and Bitton have stepped up well as the Celts conceded just twice in their three games with the unusual formation. Before the Nomme Kalju away leg we hadn’t seen where Jullien fits into this system.

But with Lennon reverting back to his favoured 4-2-3-1 system for Tuesday’s game in Estonia, he gave us his biggest hint yet as to how the side will line-up long-term.

Watch Celtic Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A sign of things to come

Jullien was deployed alongside Simunovic as one of two central defenders in Estonia and this could well be the system we see at Parkhead going forward. Yet, we might see slightly different personnel.

The giant Frenchman was brought to the club from Toulouse for a £7m fee, per BBC Sport. This sort of outlay would suggest he’ll be expected to be Lennon’s go-to central defender this season – it’s the sixth biggest fee the club has ever shelled out.

Alongside him, despite the early season form of Simunovic and Bitton, should be Ajer. The Norwegian has shown signs that he’s on his way to the very top and would provide a nice blend of experience and youth if he were to be partnered with Jullien.

Ajer was pivotal for Celtic as he made 45 appearances en route to a treble treble victory last season. There’s a very real chance that the club play with two new full-backs and new signing Jullien at the back for large portions of the season, so the continuity of having the 21-year-old in the backline shouldn’t be undervalued.

We will have to wait to see the Ajer-Jullien partnership in full flow thanks to the Frenchman’s domestic suspension, but the former’s potential and the latter’s price tag will surely see Lennon land on them as his go-to pair.

Jullien’s size and physical dominance, combined with Ajer’s technical ability and high potential, makes them the ideal partnership to lead Lennon’s second reign. Sorry Jozo.

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Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira shares first snaps after getting back on the pitch for the Gunners

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Lucas Torreira is now officially back with the Arsenal squad after his extended holiday came to an end. And it didn’t take long before Unai Emery decided to give him his first minutes before the start of the new Premier League season.

The Uruguayan midfielder took to the Camp Nou pitch to face Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy clash that saw the Catalans clinch a narrow 2-1 victory over the Gunners.

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Still, it was a good game and Arsenal were even in the driving seat after the first 45 minutes but couldn’t keep the Blaugrana at bay in the second part of the match.

Torreira quickly took to

/B0wgAzUBqrQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to share his first snaps back with the squad and playing some football.

The Uruguayan has also participated in this year’s iteration of the Copa America with his nation and that’s why he returned to training later than most. Unfortunately, Uruguay were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the eventual finalists Peru.

Torreira himself played three of the total four games throughout the tournament but he was sadly unable to help his country to glory.

The 23-year-old midfielder had a decent 2018/19 season with the Gunners, as well.

He played a total of 50 games across all competitions and managed to contribute with two goals and a total of five assists in the process.

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Leeds fans react positively to Bailey Peacock-Farrell transfer news

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According to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United have agreed to sell goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Burnley ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

The report claims that the Clarets will pay £3.5m for the 22-year-old, who is behind Kiko Casilla when it comes to the pecking order at Elland Road.

Peacock-Farrell was due to see his contract with the Whites expire next summer and he is now set for a move to the Premier League.

It has been a frustrating transfer window for the Leeds fans, but not too many are bothered to see the back of Peacock-Farrell.

The stopper actually kept 10 clean sheets in 28 Championship appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side during the 2018-19 campaign.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, the news that the Northern Ireland international is on the verge of leaving Elland Road has been welcomed by many of the Leeds supporters on social media.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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