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He has lots of options, doesn’t he? Graeme Shinnie’s Aberdeen contract expires in the summer and his performances have seemingly caught the eye of many onlookers across not just Scotland, but England too and specifically the second tier of football.

Shinnie has been a mainstay in the Dons’ side in which he is club captain, having really established himself there over what is approaching four years since his arrival.

The competition for the 27-year-old’s signature is truly on. FootballInsider have reported that Derby County leads the chase for Shinnie. The report also suggests that Sheffield United and Bristol City have made offers for his services but that their approaches have been leapfrogged by Derby.

With that being said, let’s take a look at what environment he would suit better. One of the clubs who have been interested, as displayed by the report, Sheffield United, as opposed to the side who allegedly lead the race for Shinnie…

Derby County

Shinnie is primarily a left-back and for that role, Frank Lampard’s side could do with a little for quality to push on next season.

Ashley Cole offers a solid level of experience, but, at 38, he cannot be relied upon truly. Scott Malone is another option there as the Rams well know, but Shinnie’s versatility and technical prowess would really suit this side where he could get guaranteed game time. He would offer quality in both the attacking and defensive phase, as well as the ability to play in midfield, too.

Grade: B+

Sheffield United

It seems unlikely, but there is still the small, outside chance that Chris Wilder’s side could make another offer for Shinnie.

In terms of where he would play in their system, the left-wing-back role is already occupied by Enda Stevens who performs it ever so well. Shinnie could also fill in in the middle of the park, but with the natural talent there too, he would struggle for regular opportunities in the starting 11.

With United possibly on their way up too, that would only limit the game time for Shinnie if he was to move, so the potential deal is not the best for either party.

Grade: D

TT VERDICT

Shinnie has the talent to hold his own in England and it is a testament to his mentality that he seemingly wants to go and prove himself in another country and division. If he does move to England, Derby is definitely the best option for game time and how Lampard’s style of play suits him, so the two could work well together.

It seems poor form is rewarded nowadays with Tottenham Captain Hugo Lloris set to face another year in the Premier League unchallenged.

Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris added another shocker to an already long list of shameful mistakes on Sunday literally handing Liverpool the victory, opening the door for Arsenal to pass them in the table. However, despite a comedy of errors that would literally see any other player out of a squad, either temporarily or permanently, the Frenchman has somehow escaped with further guarantees over his future.

Indeed, according to the Daily Mail, Mauricio Pochettino has no intention of signing a new goalkeeper this summer, instead opting to strengthen other areas of the pitch.

Central midfield is a major point of concern and will be the focus of much of Tottenham’s resources, and those we can pretty confidently say are enjoying their final months with Spurs is defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama, who has been forced to the periphery of the squad in recent seasons, and donkey Moussa Sissoko. A new left-back, forward and creative midfielder are also said to be on the priority list.

Where this will come as welcome news to Spurs fans, who are preparing for a new prosperous life in their fresh stadium and haven’t enjoyed any transfer activity this season, it certainly isn’t everything they wanted to hear.

At the very least Tottenham should be signing a quality keeper to compete with their complacent, error-prone captain Hugo Lloris, who earns £100k-a-week, according to Spotrac.

Speaking on Match of the Day 2 (quote via Daily Mail) former Spurs man Jermaine Jenas said: ‘If Spurs want to kick on and have any aspirations of challenging for the league or winning major trophies, then it is a position they need to start looking at.

‘He [Lloris] should be at the peak of his powers right now but he actually looks more nervous now than he did when he arrived from Lyon seven years ago.’

He’s not wrong. Too long has the urgency been glossed over by the occasional outstanding performance from the France international, something needs to change. Daniel Levy simply has to bite the bullet and ditch the Frenchman.

Tottenham fans, do you think it’s time your club signed a new keeper? Let us know in the comments below…

Tottenham Hotspur won’t accept anything less than a top four spot in the current campaign, despite their recent run of poor form, as they’ve enjoyed plenty of success under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, one big worry for fans in recent times has been Mauricio Pochettino’s future, as according to The Sun, Tottenham fear that the Argentine will quit for Real Madrid in the summer.

Interestingly, the report states that Pochettino has told Daniel Levy that his burning ambition is to win titles and he wants the financial backing to compete for the game’s top honours.

Pochettino has completely transformed Spurs over the years, as well as establishing himself as one of the best managers in the whole of world football, so making sure he stays in North London is vital.

One thing that Levy must to do show the 46-year-old that he means business is to splash out on a number of big-name signings in the summer transfer window. Indeed, the North London club have been hugely disappointing on the transfer front in recent times as they’ve failed to spend a single penny in the last two windows.

Spurs already have a strong squad but Levy needs to draft in some reinforcements if the Lilywhites are to stand any chance of challenging for silverware and top honours, so backing the Argentine and making promises prior to the summer transfer window would be a good start.

Also, Levy can show his ambition by gettingChristian Eriksen to sign a long-term deal, as the Dane’s contract runs out at the end of the current campaign. Eriksen has been one of the shining lights for Spurs in in recent years and he’s arguably one of the best attacking midfielders in world football, so offering him whatever he wants in order to get him to put pen to paper would show Pochettino that he’s willing to go the extra mile to keep talent at the club.

يبحث نادي برشلونة عن التعاقد مع مهاجم جديد خلال الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي، من أجل تدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بطلب من المدرب، رونالد كومان.

وتخلى برشلونة عن لويس سواريز قبل أسبوع، ووافق على فسخ تعاقده مع اللاعب الأوروجوياني الذي انتقل إلى أتلتيكو مدريد بسبب راتبه السنوي المرتفع.

اقرأ أيضًا.. حرب منتظرة بين برشلونة ووكيل فاتي

ولكن هذا لا يتعارض مع نية برشلونة في ضم مهاجم جديد، حيث يضع مهاجم أولمبيك ليون ومنتخب هولندا، ممفيس ديباي، كهدف أول لمركز المهاجم بعد استبعاد، لاوتارو مارتينيز.

لكن المفاجأة هنا هي ما كشفت عنه شبكة “كواترو” الإسبانية، والتي أكدت على أن برشلونة يدرس التعاقد مع مهاجم إسبانيول ونادي ريال مدريد الأسبق، راؤول دي توماس.

ويريد برشلونة استغلال هبوط جاره الكتالوني إلى الدرجة الثانية الإسبانية من أجل التفاوض على ضم راؤول الذي يعد أحد أبناء ريال مدريد وخريج “كاستيا” في عام 2015.

وبحسب الشبكة الشهيرة أن برشلونة قد استفسر عن إمكانية التعاقد مع دي توماس، الذي يمتلك شرطًا جزائيًا في عقده مع إسبانيول قيمته 60 مليون يورو.

لكن ما قد يسهل مهمة برشلونة في ضم اللاعب بمبلغ أقل من المطلوب هو راتب راؤول الكبير مع إسبانيول في الوقت الحالي، وهو ما قد يجبرهم على الاستغناء عنه بسبب هبوطهم للدرجة الثانية.

وكان إسبانيول قد تعاقد مع دي توماس في يناير الماضي من بنفيكا مقابل 25 مليون يورو، في محاولة لإنقاذ الفريق من الهبوط إلى الدرجة الثانية، لكن في النهاية فشل.

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Brendan Rodgers has pencilled in next Sunday’s SPFL clash with Motherwell for Kieran Tierney’s return from injury.

The defender has been out injured since suffering a hip knock in the Europa League match against RB Leipzig but has been back in full contact training for over a week.

Tierney has been watching his team-mates from the stands alongside his pals but is now closing in on a return to competitive action.

After today’s 1-0 win over Kilmarnock, Chick Young asked Rodgers if Tierney would be back to face Valencia on Thursday but the Hoops boss told Radio Scotland…

“I think that Motherwell is the game that we are targeting Kieran for.”

Jonny Hayes put in an impressive shift today at Kilmarnock but the return of the first choice left-back will give Celtic a major boost at an important time.

Emilio Izaguirre has been the regular deputy but suffered an ankle injury in the first leg defeat from Valencia – as well as a very uncomfortable night against the Spanish side.

While his team-mates prepare to climb a mountain in the Mestalla on Thursday, Tierney will remain behind at Lennoxtown as he completes his recovery from injury.

As Kevin Pietersen completes his journey from leader to foot-soldier in the England dressing room, Andrew Strauss has urged his team to “think on their feet” on the eve of their departure to the Caribbean.Strauss was named England captain last week, following Pietersen’s resignation after his high-profile clash with the coach, Peter Moores, who was sacked. Strauss, England’s interim captain in 2006 when Michael Vaughan was injured but who was overlooked for the captaincy in the subsequent Ashes, insisted that his players must begin to take responsibility for their form.”We want to get back to doing what do we best, playing cricket and winning Test matches,” said Strauss. “My belief is we want to see players think on their feet out in the middle, take responsibility for the situation and not leave it to someone else.”The only way we can do that is to give them more responsibility off the field as well. I’m challenging my players to start thinking a bit more about what they need to do in terms of preparation and I’m giving them a lot more flexibility to do that.”England travel to the West Indies without a head coach, with Andy Flower – Moores’s assistant during his tenure – acting as an unofficial interim, supported by Phil Neale, the team operations manager, and other specialist coaches and support staff. “I suppose the coaches will play more of an advisory or consultancy role,” Strauss said. “It’s vitally important the players are challenged to think for themselves.”Pietersen had his first net at Lord’s last week since stepping down as captain and, despite concerns that he could hot-foot it to India to play in the Indian Premier League, has the full support of Strauss who yesterday was adamant that he would score “millions of runs” for England.”Kevin was his normal self when we met up,” said Strauss. “I’ve never seen Kevin show a negative side to him since the first day I met him. He’s very positive, he doesn’t dwell on the past and I’m sure he’s already plotting ways of spanking the West Indies bowlers all over the place.”Pietersen has not, however, been named on the team’s management committee for the Tests against West Indies, which will instead comprise Andrew Flintoff, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad, with Pietersen stepping in for the ODIs when Cook flies home.”The reality is that I thought that this was something that functioned very well under Duncan Fletcher,” said Strauss. “It is a great way for the management to get feedback from the players as to how things are going – what things are going well and what is going badly. But also it is crucial for the players to have a voice. The last thing I want is a ‘them and us’ atmosphere in the dressing room.”But you can’t have all the players in that management group, otherwise it would not function properly. I will be very, very keen to get as many views as I can from KP in the coming weeks. I suppose as much as anything it is a case of gradually re-introducing him. Looking forward he is going to play a very big role, but he has had a lot on his plate very recently. It is very important that he has the ability to concentrate on his batting and getting the runs that we know he can.

Instead, Collingwood and Flintoff will represent the senior members of the squad, with Cook and Broad – two potential future captains – also given their chance to air their views. “I wanted to bring a couple of the younger players in and I think that it is important to develop them going forward,” said Strauss. “I know that those senior players involved have got very strong thoughts on how we can go forward and I would like to hear those. I think it is very healthy and I think it is going to help us.”It was very important that KP was on the one-day leg, partly because he has been captaining [in] one-day cricket recently, and I haven’t. Also that he has got a huge amount to offer one-day cricket in terms of the way he looks to play opposition bowlers. It is very important that we involve him as much as possible – that is not seen to be involving him, it is just because he is an important part of the dressing room.”Dressing-room unity will be crucial to England’s fortunes in a series in which they are favourites, but against opponents whom it is unwise to write off. “We want to win both the Test and one-day series and start building some momentum before an important summer,” said Strauss. “The West Indies are now a very dangerous side. The likes of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards are all very dangerous cricketers.”When it comes to dangerous cricketers, however, England have a few of their own, not least Steve Harmison, who was at his absolute zenith on their last tour to the Caribbean in 2003-04. He launched the series at Sabina Park with career-best figures of 7 for 12, and later in the year was rated the leading fast bowler in the world.”If Steve Harmison is bowling well and at 90mph, he’s the first name on pretty much any team sheet in the world,” said Strauss. “Clearly he’s as frustrated as anyone that he hasn’t been able to do that as consistently as he’d like, but I’ve spoken to him a couple of times since we’ve come back from India and he has a clear understanding of where he needs to go to bowl consistently at that sort of pace.”In keeping with giving players responsibility I’m quite happy with what he’s said to me in terms of how he’s going to get there. I’m confident. He’s a very important player for us in terms of the threat that he gives us on the pitch. But off the pitch he’s a shoulder to cry on for some of the younger players and that’s very useful. We all feel this could be a really big tour for him and looking forward to the Ashes if he can hit his straps on this tour we’re in a good position.”For the moment, a return to winning ways would be a start, although in terms of assessing their progress, England have little to gain on this trip. West Indies and New Zealand (twice) are the only two nations that England beat during Moores’s time in charge, both of whom are ranked among the weaker opponents. Strauss pressed the need for England to rediscover the tough streak which made them so formidable in the run-up to the 2005 Ashes.”We’ve been playing some decent cricket over the last year but we haven’t nailed it home when we’ve needed to,” he said. “If we can start being a little bit more ruthless in the way we play, we are a match for most sides.”

According to the Daily Mail, Sheffield Wednesday are the latest Championship side in the hunt for Dwight Gayle as Newcastle United look to offload him this month.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that the Magpies will offer the 29-year-old out for loan this month, but any deal would include an obligation to buy for £10m, which effectively means any club can have him now but will have to pay up in the summer.

West Brom have been long-time admirers of their former temporary goal machine but were ruled out of signing him in the summer due to the finances involved while Nottingham Forest and Fulham also have reported interest.

Gayle picked up a hamstring injury in Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Wolves at the weekend, but it is not as bad as first feared, so the Premier League frontman will be able to return to training within the next two to three weeks.

Fletcher replacement?

The Owls have a pressing need to add a striker during this transfer window after suffering a monumental blow to Steven Fletcher, the 32-year-old picked up a severe knee injury against Brighton in the FA Cup and isn’t expected back for another eight or so weeks.

No player in the Wednesday squad is even close to being on the same level as him in terms of goals after notching 12 for the season so far – the next best is a quartet of players on three, per WhoScored.

Gayle proved last term that he was a prolific goalscorer in the division having netted 24 times for the Baggies, but despite this, he would undoubtedly be a waste in the system that manager Garry Monk currently operates.

The striker is 5 foot 9 with a style of play described as ‘energetic’ and ‘pacey’ – a far cry from the 6 foot 1 target man that wins, on average, 6.4 aerial duels per game.

Gayle has not won more than 1.9 aerial duels per game in the entire duration of his career since he signed for Crystal Palace in the 2013/14 season.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

The 29-year-old wouldn’t be a like-for-like replacement, and thus, he would find it hard to cope with the physical demands that Monk’s system hinges so heavily on.

An obligation of £10m is just a huge risk without the certainty of gaining promotion, the south Yorkshiremen are in no position to offer that just yet.

In other news, Wednesday’s pursuit of another PL man ‘smacks of panic’ according to our latest verdict…

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Steven Gerrard may be the manager of the best side in Scotland right now, but the Liverpool legend will be forced to look for new faces in January after his damning criticism of his side surely raised doubts over Eros Grezda’s future.

What’s he said?

Speaking after the Gers moved top of the Scottish Premiership, Gerrard claimed he was “not interested” in being at the head of the field and instead laid into his side.

“I’m happy we’ve won, I’m happy with a clean sheet, but we need to improve,” he told Rangers TV.

“Without the ball today we were really good – but when we got the ball in good areas we didn’t have a killer instinct.

“[We’re missing] that little bit of quality, someone who is going to step up and kill the game. We should have won this game after five minutes today, we should have been two or three nil up.

“We had 21 corners today. I’m guessing, but we had at least 30 crosses into the box. We’re playing well up to a certain point, but someone is going to want to go and score a goal or want to go and assist a goal to kill Hamilton.”

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

What does this mean for Grezda?

Against Hamilton on Sunday, Grezda played the entire 90 minutes from the wing, but the Albanian failed to create a clear chance for a teammate or score a goal for himself.

Had the 23-year-old conjured a clear opportunity, he would have then afforded his coach the luxury of making changes he desired. Instead, the game dragged on, and the visitors could have taken a point or more from Ibrox.

Playing from the wings, in particular, you have a level of demand to create chances for your teammates, and Grezda has only provided one assist in eight league games.

New faces in January

Gerrard is clearly not afraid of mixing things up in Scotland, and has openly expressed his admiration of Everton midfielder Kieran Dowell, who could move to Ibrox in January after Ovie Ejaria returned to Liverpool.

There is also an understanding that the 114-cap England international will look to sell players currently at the club to fund new faces joining in January, but is being held back by the likes of Carlos Pena, who are away on loan.

Sky Sports News quoted the Light Blues’ manager ahead of the Hamilton clash stating: “Some of the players not with me are earning big money compared to the rest of the group. That’s money I could be doing with to recycle, make the team stronger and make it compete better.”

Jurgen Klopp has achieved some great things at Liverpool during the first few years of his reign, but in order to ensure success in the future, he’ll need to maintain his focus on youth production. The German manager has placed a lot of attention on affording opportunities to young players, with individuals like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Dominic Solanke getting a varying amount of minutes over the last year or so.

Whilst that may mean in the short-term that Liverpool could easily spend big and upgrade, the reality is that in the long-term, the Reds could have some of Europe’s best for a fraction of their market value.

Thus, it makes sense for Klopp to continue to prioritise young players, and one player that simply must be in the first team in five years time is Rhian Brewster, Liverpool’s star young forward.

Whilst Liverpool don’t have a shortage of attacking talent, there is always room for improvement, and Brewster could, in a few years, certainly offer something fresh.

A lethal forward with goals at the centre of his mind, Brewster differs significantly from Firmino in the sense that he’s more concerned with scoring than he is with anything else. That’s not to say that Firmino doesn’t value that side of the game, but you’d imagine that he’s just as happy assisting as he is scoring. That’s not the case for Brewster, and he highlighted that during his stunning run at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, a tournament that England won.

Offering electric pace and technical quality, he’s brilliant at dribbling at defences and moving past them, whilst he’s just as comfortable receiving the ball and striking towards goals. That’s all without taking anything away from his link-up play, too, as he’s effective in that sense, as well.

With Daniel Sturridge’s long-term fitness credentials still uncertain, there is space for Brewster in this team, and his decision to sign a long-term deal at Anfield does bode well for his future. 

Liverpool fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

It seems that a day does not go by when a transfer story involving Liverpool and a goalkeeper is not in the media.After Loris Karius’s blunder-filled performance in the Reds’ Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in May, the rumour mill has been churning out speculation regarding a keeper search.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”267843″ player=”12034″ title=”Five crazy stats from the World Cup last 16″]It has been clear to many that Karius and now-number two Simon Mignolet are not up to standard with regards to title challenges.Numerous names have been linked with Anfield, including Roma shot-stopper Alisson, Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak and Stoke City keeper Jack Butland, to name a few.How far will England get in Russia? Tell us now and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.Barcelona’s second string stopper Jasper Cillessen is another figure that has been touted as a possible target, withÂMundo Deportivo reporting last month that the Premier League club had made an approach.However, reliable Liverpool Echo journalist James Pearce has insisted that the Reds have no interest in signing Cillessen.

The news has been met with joy by some Liverpool fans.

Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..Comment from discussion Told that #LFC have zero interest in Barcelona keeper Jasper Cillessen – despite the recent speculation..