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Some Liverpool supporters have been mocking Timo Werner’s claims that he’s happy he didn’t join the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp has been largely successful in the transfer market during his time at Anfield, making a host of sensational signings including Mohamed Salah, Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane, to name just a few.

Liverpool were heavily linked with Werner last summer, with the German seen as someone who could excel in this Reds team. Instead, the 25-year-old opted to join Chelsea, but despite winning the Champions League, he has struggled for form at Stamford Bridge.

Werner scored just six goals in 35 Premier League appearances in his first season in England, with his finishing leaving a lot to be desired at times.

Speaking to Bild [via football.london], the striker said he had no regrets about turning down Liverpool, claiming that “it was the right step and the best decision” to move to Chelsea.

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Liverpool fans mock Werner remarks

These Reds fans on Twitter mockingly replied to his comments, saying they are pleased he didn’t head to Anfield considering his ineffective first season in England.

“We have no regrets either”

Credit: @LFCPierre

“Glad we can agree Timo”

Credit: @LFC_Jonesy

“The feeling’s mutual bud”

Credit: @DPortss

“I have regrets…. as I was sad and gutted when he went to Chelsea but now I regret that haha”

Credit: @MikeGibbons84

“Lool same my friend…same”

Credit: @foodzneversober

“Neither do we”

Credit: @ZohaibSalman

In other news, some Liverpool fans are hugely excited about a potential swap deal happening this summer. Read more here.

Kevin Campbell has given his reaction after Callum Wilson was ruled out for the rest of the season for Newcastle United with injury.

The Lowdown: Wilson picks up injury

The North East club confirmed on Tuesday that Wilson will miss the final three games of the 2020/21 term, after he suffered a hamstring injury in their 4-2 away win at Leicester City in the Premier League last time out.

It unfortunately means that he will not be able to play any part against recently-crowned champions Manchester City at St. James’ Park, in a match which he would have needed to play to give them the best hope of getting any points.

The Latest: Campbell plays down Wilson injury

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell, who was a striker himself having played for the likes of Everton and Arsenal in the top flight, has played down the injury suffered by Wilson, as the Tyneside club are already safe and so the last few fixtures do not have a lot hindering on them:

“It’s crushing for Callum Wilson but at the end of the day it is job done.

“Let’s be honest, the season is over for Newcastle anyway, they have got over the line.

“They worked ever so hard to get Wilson back fit and in the team and it is a shame he has got injured so soon again but they are safe now. The job is done. It is not nice to lose one of your best players but the club will not be overly worried about that now.

“He played incredibly against Leicester and got the crucial goals.

“It is job done for Callum Wilson. He can put his feet up now, recover and then start to get ready for next season.”  

The Verdict: Wilson layoff has silver lining

Although it is a blow to lose one of their key players, given that the Magpies have avoided relegation down to the EFL Championship, the news of Wilson’s injury is not the worst at this moment in time.

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The Toon would have certainly had a better chance of beating Pep Guardiola’s men with him in the side, given that he is currently their top scorer and assister in the division so far (Whoscored), but the game does not really have much riding on it other than pride, and so NUFC will just be hoping that he can recover easy and in time for the start of the next campaign.

In fact, it could be a blessing in disguise if he is afforded the time to truly recover from the issues hampering him through this season ahead of the new term.

In other news, find out which 6 ft 1 talent Newcastle are eyeing here!

Emiliano Martinez is on the same level as Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak, claims former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie.

This comes after reports from Spain last month suggested that the Spanish outfit could make a move for Martinez if they lose Oblak this summer.

Martinez has been a revelation at Villa since joining from Arsenal last year, ranking among the top three goalkeepers for clean sheets kept in the Premier League this season.

And for Hendrie, the 28-year-old is in the same category as Oblak, who has a staggering £120m release clause.

When asked in an exclusive interview with TT whether Martinez was on the same level as the Slovenia international amid Atletico’s reported interest, the ex-Villa player said:

“Yeah, one hundred percent, one hundred percent. I was surprised that Martinez was actually allowed to come to the football club if I’m being deadly honest. I actually looked at [Bernd] Leno and I just thought that Martinez was the one that I would have kept.

“You look at his stats this season and he’s been top drawer. When you’re being classed as a top goalkeeper in the Premier League, yes, there’s no doubt about it. When you compare levels, he’s definitely on that level.”

Looking at Oblak’s release clause, it is hard to imagine any team coming in for him. But, based on this season, Martinez could be a good replacement if he did end up departing the Wanda Metropolitano.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey has claimed that Steve Bruce has a great relationship with his players and has their trust.

Bruce has handled the pressure at Newcastle well in recent weeks as, since the international break, they have not lost a game, a run that has included draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool respectively.

The former Sunderland manager has only made one change to his starting lineup in the last four games, which was to bring Allan Saint-Maximin in for Dwight Gayle after his cameo appearances against both Spurs and Burnley.

Speaking on how Bruce has established such a good relationship with his squad and why that is so important to have as a manager, Howey told FFC exclusively:

“It seems as though Steve has got a relationship with players where he can talk to them and he can say to them, if you want to play, then I’ll start you, but you have to be honest because you don’t want players going out their half-hearted.

“I think that’s what he has to do with Saint-Maximin and also with someone like Callum Wilson.”

Bruce has been thankful to be able to welcome some of his best players back in recent weeks, such as Callum Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Federico Fernandez, and their returns have coincided with the Magpies’ current unbeaten run.

Newcastle moved away from their split striker system, which was something Graeme Jones favoured, and reverted to a back three and that has provided them with a solid foundation to build upon.

The current owner of Sheffield Wednesday, Dejphon Chansiri, is not planning to sell the club any time soon.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by The Sun (via Football League World), who claim that despite the fact the Owls suffering relegation to the third tier of English football this season – something that could quite easily be pinned on Chansiri’s actions – the businessman has no intention of selling the club this summer.

It is also reported that one interested party enquired about the purchase of the club and were quoted a figure of a rather excessive £160 million to even begin discussions over any potential deal.

Bad news for fans

While the blame for the club’s relegation does also partially lie with the Wednesday players, as the Owls won just 50% of the fixtures in which they had taken the lead this term, Chansiri’s actions throughout the course of the campaign, as well as in the years leading up to this season, have undoubtedly played a major role in the club’s demise.

The club started the season with a 12 point deduction due to the owner’s breaching of spending rules, and, although this penalty was reduced to six points upon appeal, ultimately, if Chansiri had not been so careless with the finances of the club which led to the deduction of points, the Owls could have avoided the drop.

Furthermore, the businessman’s decision to sack Garry Monk and replace him with Tony Pulis, only to then sack the latter after just 10 fixtures in charge, will not have benefited the squad whatsoever, as the chopping and changing of management, with each coaches’ implementation of style naturally taking a while to be put into action by the players, will have had a negative impact on the level of performance of the team.

As such, the news that Chansiri, who has issued a statement personally accepting responsibility for the relegation, has no intention of selling up is likely to come as infuriating news for fans of the club, who must be sick to the back teeth of the owner’s reckless actions.

In other news: 67% passes completed: Sheff Wed passenger who lost possession 22x cost Moore dearly – opinion

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and BBC regular Noel Whelan has reacted to the emergence of a report linking Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld with a possible exit as the former Premier League striker claims that losing him is a ‘scary’ prospect for Spurs.

Alderweireld has been the subject of speculation surrounding his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the Belgian currently at the centre of interest from Club Brugge.

Whelan reacts to Alderweireld report

Voetbal 24 reported recently that the Jupiler Pro League side have made contact over a potential summer transfer for the Lilywhites defender as Whelan claims the prospect of losing him and other big names comes as scary for Spurs supporters and manager Jose Mourinho.

“It’s actually really scary as a Tottenham fan. They’ve got real problems at centre-half,” explained the BBC pundit to Football Insider.

“Sanchez is not working and Dier has been very inconsistent. Alderweireld has been there as part of the furniture and fixings for a long, long time now.

“However, if you lose a big, big player like that, you’re going to have to pay millions. Millions of pounds.

“I’m not sure whether they can because they’re not going to entice players of that calibre.”

Transfer Tavern take

Time will tell whether the 32-year-old could opt for a return to his homeland in the summer, or indeed elsewhere, but Whelan may be correct that Tottenham would need to have a replacement in mind.

Spurs have been linked with numerous centre-backs recently, with reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold claiming that the Lilywhites are keeping tabs on Joachim Andersen, Nikola Milenkovic and Lewis Dunk in particular (football.london).

Regardless, it could be hard to replace an experienced figure like Alderweireld if exit links come to fruition.

In other news: Tottenham have been dealt a potential Harry Kane blow, find out more here.

In a recent interview, Noel Whelan criticised the performance of Tottenham Hotspur centre-back pairing Eric Dier and Joe Rodon following Tottenham’s latest Premier League defeat.

In Sunday’s lacklustre 3-1 loss against Manchester United, both Dier and Rodon turned in less than inspiring displays for Mourinho’s side, with the former earning a disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.17, while the latter managed an almost equally poor 6.20 rating – ranking the pair as Jose Mourinho’s second and third-worst starters respectively.

Speaking to Football Insider following the defeat, Whelan took aim at the Tottenham defensive duo, suggesting that it seemed as if the pair could not maintain their concentration for the course of the 90 minutes, before claiming that both players may not be Spurs-standard centre-backs.

He said: “You have to look at the players and their quality, have they got a good enough defence? Are the players concentrating enough? Obviously not. You work hard to take the lead and you can’t back off, there’s a real issue.

“Mourinho prides himself on his defence and the way he sets up, winning games 1-0. It doesn’t seem to be happening at the minute, whether it’s a lack of concentration from the players or just not enough quality in other areas. It seems to be in the centre of defence where they’re having issues, they haven’t got good enough players there and they can’t concentrate for 90 minutes.”

Transfer Tavern Take

With Tottenham’s latest defeat meaning that Mourinho’s side have now lost a whopping 18 points from winning positions in the Premier League, it would indeed seem as if there is a problem with the concentration levels in the Spurs backline, as Whelan suggests.

With the Portuguese manager making it abundantly clear that he would like to strengthen the centre of his defence in the upcoming transfer window, unless both Dier and Rodon – as well as Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez – can buck their ideas up sharpish, their collective futures under Mourinho would appear to be rather uncertain.

In other news: ‘It may be’ – Spurs target drops huge hint on transfer; Mourinho fascinated by ‘remarkable’ star – find out more here!

Following a failed move for Jadon Sancho last summer, Manchester United have continued to be linked with a number of different wingers throughout Europe.

Interestingly enough, a couple of Premier League stars are reportedly on the Red Devils’ shortlist according to The Sun, those men being Leeds United’s Raphinha and Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

When compared, the two wingers are remarkably similar players but it is the Brazilian who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be pushing to sign over the Portuguese ace?

In his first season in the Premier League, Raphinha has impressed for Marcelo Bielsa’s men, netting six goals and providing five assists. Meanwhile, Wolves’ Neto is almost matching those numbers having plundered five goals and four assists in all competitions throughout the current campaign.

Despite that similarity in output, Raphinha has played almost six full matches fewer than Neto in the Premier League this campaign so it could be expected that those numbers would have been even higher with more minutes under his belt.

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He has also been praised from various corners of the game, with Dean Windass labelling him as “unbelievable” in a recent exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Away from their direct contributions, the two remain to be very similar, with Raphinha just edging ahead of the Portuguese in some stats.

According to WhoScored, the former Stade Rennais man has averaged 2.4 shots per game and provided 2.1 key passes, whilst Neto is averaging 1.9 and two per game – extremely similar numbers. However, the fact that Raphinha just continues to edge the statistics makes the argument for Manchester United to sign him all the more convincing.

Having said that, the 21-year-old Portuguese is far more reliable on the ball. He overcomes Raphinha on both dribbles and fouls won, whilst also racking up a considerably better pass percentage at 88.1% compared to 73.1%.

Nonetheless, it could be suggested that it would take a considerably lower fee to bring the Brazilian to Old Trafford. He is rated at £22.5m, whilst Neto sits at £31.5m, whilst having a year longer left on his current contract.

Once again, the two are very similar players and both of them will certainly be of interest to Manchester United and rightly so.

However, for us, it is Leeds’ Raphinha who should be higher up on the Red Devils’ candidates for the vacant position on the right flank as an alternative to Jadon Sancho.

AND in more news, read about which Man Utd starlet has been hit by a disappointing injury on international duty…

Former Romania manager Christoph Daum has questioned why Steven Gerrard does not select Glasgow Rangers player Ianis Hagi on a more regular basis.

Daum questions Gerrard’s Hagi use

Hagi has made 38 appearances in all competitions for the Gers so far this campaign, but only 29 of those have been starts (Transfermarkt).

Speaking to Romanian outlet Playsport, Daum has questioned why the £5.4m-valued 22-year-old does not feature in the Gers’ starting XI more often. He said:

“He is a very talented player.

“Sometimes I watch Glasgow Rangers matches and he is not in the starting XI and I don’t understand why.

“Glasgow are not Manchester City…

“I don’t understand how he can train and how he can develop his performances, given that he is not always in the first XI.

“Of course, we accept Gerrard’s choices, but we all know that Ianis is an excellent and very talented player.”

Improvement

Hagi has had a good season overall, scoring seven times and providing 12 assists in all competitions. However, at times he has been inconsistent – he went nearly four months without a league goal earlier in the campaign – which is why Gerrard has sometimes selected other players ahead of him.

At the end of the day, he is just 22 years of age and has plenty of time ahead of him to improve. Transfer interest from Lazio (Gazzetta Dello Sport) indicated that he is a very talented player, as Daum has said.

While the Gers may not quite be on Manchester City’s level, they have lost just two games in all competitions this season (Sky Sports) and romped to the Premiership title, so every player has to battle for their place in the team. In the long-term, though, Hagi clearly has a big role to play at Ibrox.

In other news, Rangers could make a move for this defender as a replacement for Filip Helander.

Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish is ‘on a list’ of potential summer signings for Liverpool, according to Stan Collymore, who represented both clubs during his playing career.

The latest on Grealish

The attacking midfielder has been on Manchester United’s radar for some time, but they are not the only Premier League giants reportedly attracted to the 25-year-old.

Collymore told Birmingham Live: “LFC’s front three have won the lot and may fancy Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus for a new challenge. So don’t discount an overhaul being at least being whispered at LFC.

“Haaland, Grealish, Fati, Boadu (a couple of Dutch coaches I know love this kid) all on a list.”

Hopefully Villa can hold onto one of their own

The attacking midfielder has had a great campaign so far in the Premier League, scoring six goals and providing ten assists (WhoScored). He has also averaged 2.1 shots, 3.4 key passes and 2.8 successful dribbles per game.

Therefore it is not surprising to see him linked with the reigning champions, and it could be hard for Villa to keep him if Liverpool ramp up their interest.

However, there is a lot in the Midlanders’ favour. Grealish signed a new long-term contract at the start of the season, and despite him being valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, the club could place a higher price tag on him to mirror his full potential. Indeed, transfer reports from Sky Sports last summer claimed that Villa valued him in the region of £80m.

Also, the 25-year-old is a boyhood Villa fan and, with them only one position below Liverpool in the table, he may yet be dissuaded from jumping ship.

In other news, many Villa fans reacted to these comments from Dean Smith!