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Leicester City have added another vital three points to the bank as they continue to push to keep hold of their top four spot this season. Their win came after carving open Liverpool’s defence at the King Power Stadium and hitting three goals past Alisson.

Despite the goalless first half and going one behind in the 67th minute, the Foxes didn’t allow their heads to drop. After a penalty opportunity was ruled out by VAR, James Maddison popped up with the equaliser in the 78th minute. It took Leicester just seven minutes more to find another two and really hammer the final nail into Liverpool’s coffin.

Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes got themselves on the scoresheet with the latter also picking up an assist, but one man hugely went under the radar with his solid performance in midfield.

Wilfred Ndidi vs Liverpool

Three points on home soil against the reigning Premier League champions will have elated the levels of morale in the Leicester camp. For the Reds, hope and confidence continues to plummet. They were hugely outperformed in the second half and couldn’t find a way past Leicester’s bodies on the line.

Wilfred Ndidi was a man in particular who impressed in Brendan Rodgers’ engine room. Not only did the Nigerian pop up with the assist for Barnes’ goal, but his defensive display was solid and paramount in keeping Liverpool’s trademark blistering attack out of the danger zone.

According to Sofascore, Ndidi put in five tackles, which was more than any other midfielder on the pitch and the joint-highest on his team. Only Ricardo Pereira matched the amount of tackles he completed. Additionally, the £75,000 per week midfielder contributed five clearances, three blocks and three interceptions, earning a the highest rating of the match with 8/10.

Considering Ndidi has missed 12 of the 24 Premier League matches this season, his impact since returning reads like he has never been away. Without his contribution, Liverpool could have had more chances to get themselves back into the game, but the Foxes made handling the champions of England look easy.

In other news, Exclusive: Steve Howey labels James Justin injury a “huge blow”…

David Moyes should recall outcast defender Fabian Balbuena when West Ham United visit Manchester City on Saturday.

The Paraguayan has been unseen in the Premier League since December’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, having lost his spot in the starting line-up to summer loan signing Craig Dawson of Watford.

Balbuena had opened 12 of the Irons initial 15 fixtures of the top-flight season before being axed away to Southampton and he has only served to act as an unused substitute for the seven games in which the 29-year-old has been included in a matchday squad since.

That’s also despite Angelo Ogbonna sitting out his side’s last two games with a high ankle sprain sustained in the FA Cup against Manchester United, when Issa Diop was favoured off the bench and Balbuena was ignored.

Balbuena has recently opened up on his situation with Paraguay’s Radio Monumental on their show Futbol a Lo Grande, explaining that his current status is a decision made by Moyes

“I’m quite well. The team is in a good moment. It’s not my turn to play for various reasons, but physically I’m very well”, Balbuena said, via quotes by D10. “The entire squad is fit to play [against Manchester City].”

With Balbuena adamant that he is fit to play, Moyes should recall the £7m-rated enforcer at the Etihad Stadium having seen his side frequently carved open by Tottenham Hotspur last time out, despite them coming out as victors in the clash.

Moyes named a four-strong backline of Aaron Cresswell, Diop, Dawson and Vladimir Coufal at home to Spurs as West Ham won the London derby 2-1, after deciding to bench Ben Johnson despite an impressive showing from the academy product against Sheffield United.

If the Irons boss feels that Johnson is not up to scratch to face an established top-six Premier League side, Balbuena should be brought in from the cold so that Moyes can switch his line-up back to a five-man defence at Manc City, without forcing Cresswell into a central role.

West Ham gave up 20 shots at home to Spurs last Sunday compared to the mere four taken on Hugo Lloris net, per WhoScored.

Harry Kane accounted for six of his side’s efforts, while Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura struck three each, Erik Lamela, Son Heung-Min and Eric Dier hit two and Sergio Reguilon plus Davinson Sanchez hit one each.

West Ham have, on average, allowed opposition sides just 12.5 shots a game in the Premier League when playing at the London Stadium this season, a total which falls to 9.8 when away from home.

Yet Man City take more shots at the Etihad (15.8) than any other side in the division when playing on home soil. Tottenham usually take just 11.8 attempts on their travels, showing the scale to which the Hammers were picked apart.

Balbuena could help prevent a repeat performance, with the 2020 free-agent still ranking first among Moyes’ centre-halves for successful tackles recorded per game (1.8), as well as the most interceptions (1.8) and clearances (4.9).

Matching his standing away to Man City would see Balbuena prove key to any potential result. It just remains to be seen if Moyes is willing to bring him in from the cold and tinker with a formation that’s served him well in recent weeks. Given City’s attacking prowess, it is something he really should consider.

AND in other news, David Moyes can discover West Ham’s next Dimitri Payet in a 24-y/o whose protected by a £258m release clause…

Many Rangers fans have been left to slam the display of Scott Arfield despite their 1-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday evening.

It was certainly a game not short of controversy, as Steven Gerrard found himself sent off at half time for two bookable offences after questioning the referee who decided to give Alfredo Morelos a booking for simulation in the penalty box in the first half.

Nonetheless, the Colombian striker tapped home with just a few minutes left of the match to go to give the Ibrox faithful all three points and thus take a big step toward securing the SPFL title.

However, although there were some very good performances in a Gers shirt, Arfield flattered to deceive and was consequently subbed off with around 20 minutes to go.

The central midfield player lost out on five of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target, successful dribble or key pass, as he failed to really grab hold of the fixture, registering fewer touches than his own goalkeeper in Allan McGregor (Sofascore).

Rangers fan reaction to Arfield display

These Gers supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as say that the 32-year-old was ‘woeful’:

“Think it was a mistake to play Arfield from the start. Not sharp enough after injury”

Credit: @BigJamieReid

“About time Arfield done nothing again”

Credit: @RFC1872II

“Arfield been the worst performer on pitch which is some going with Beaton on there as well”

Credit: @KuriousOranjj

“Arfield is having a shocker tonight.”

Credit: @Rt_415

“Arfield off Hagi on he’s been miles off it tonight”

Credit: @glasgowgolfer77

“Kent and Arfield have been absolutely woeful”

Credit: @pies1690

In other news, find out why Rangers fans have slammed one journalist recently here!

Southampton are reportedly interested in signing goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco from Deportivo Alaves this summer and, if he were to join, he could usurp both Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster and become first choice under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

According to reports from Spanish outlet El Gol Digital, Leeds United and Southampton are keen on signing the 28-year-old shot-stopper this summer, with both reportedly willing to pay the €10m (£8.6m) that Alaves would demand for their number one.

The former Real Madrid youngster has been a mainstay in Alaves’ side for the past six years since joining on a free transfer from Los Blancos, making 207 appearances, in which he has conceded 257 goals and kept 67 clean sheets.

The football scouting website FBref rates Pacheco highly when it comes to passing, as he scores 95/100 for his passes over 40 yards completed. In the same statistic, McCarthy scores a measly 2/100.

It seems as if the Spanish ‘keeper also has the advantage when it comes to saving shots, as he scores 98/100 for the expected goals per shot he faces, meaning he concedes far less than expected, whereas McCarthy scores 82/100 in this statistic.

It has been suggested that McCarthy has had the edge over Forster for much of the season because of his ability with the ball at his feet, but it seems clear that Pacheco would be an upgrade from this perspective, with WhoScored also suggesting that his main strength as a goalkeeper is his long passing.

Forster has been between the sticks for recent games against Everton and Sheffield United and, whilst he boasts an impressive clean sheet record on his rare appearances this season, it seems clear that Hasenhuttl sees him as second choice behind McCarthy.

The former Celtic loanee is also 32 and McCarthy is 31, and whilst that isn’t particularly old for a goalkeeper, Pacheco is 28 and therefore could be a fixture in this Southampton team for the next few years he were to join.

Considering Alaves currently sit 19th in La Liga, it seems likely that if Southampton were to come knocking in the summer following Alaves’ possible relegation from the Spanish top flight, then Pacheco could be easily convinced by a move to the south coast of England.

Therefore, Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to the Premier League, as the statistics seem to suggest that he would fit in well in Hasenhuttl’s side and could be an upgrade on both McCarthy and Forster.

In other news… Southampton handed big boost in hopes of axing £40k-p/w flop this summer

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur recently had a bid rejected for AS Roma centre-back Roger Ibanez.

The report by Voce Giallorossa (via Sport Witness) claims that Ilario Di Giovambattista revealed both Tottenham and Leicester City made recent offers of €30m (£25.7m) for Ibanez, who just signed a permanent deal with Roma having initially been on loan from fellow Italian outfit Atalanta.

According to Di Giovambattista, both Jose Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers have been tracking the £18m-rated centre-back for some time and will continue to do so despite the 22-year-old officially becoming a Roma player in recent weeks.

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering that Ibanez has impressed over his 22 Serie A appearances for Paulo Fonseca’s side this season, with the defender’s average WhoScored match rating of 6.92 ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer in the Italian top flight, the claim that Spurs have been keeping tabs on the Brazilian is not overly surprising, considering Mourinho’s desire to sign a new centre-back last summer.

However, it is more difficult to believe that the club would have offered a large sum of money for Ibanez in the January transfer window, as the Tottenham manager himself stated the club would not likely be doing any business in the winter market.

Indeed, Sport Witness suggested that Di Giovambattista’s claims could well be an attempt to make Roma’s business appear in a better light with the club’s supporters, which seems a much more plausible scenario.

In other news: Tottenham are also monitoring this attacker, find out more here.

There is a feeling that the Netherlands believe Virgil van Dijk could be fit for Euro 2020, alleging that Jurgen Klopp is currently holding him back.

The 29-year-old continues to recover from the cruciate ligament injury he suffered back in October following a shocking tackle by Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

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Van Dijk’s absence has been an almighty blow in a season which has slowly fallen part, with the Reds’ Premier League title defence fizzling out because of injuries and poor form.

The centre-back has been pictured various times in recent weeks as he works on his return to action, with the Dutchman back in the gym and also jogging on the training pitch.

Netherlands believe Klopp is holding Van Dijk back

According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf [via Sport Witness], the Netherlands national team believe Van Dijk is closer to a return than Klopp is claiming and the player knows that his boss cannot make the decision on whether he plays a the Euros.

They reported: ‘Klopp has put the brakes firmly on in England, but Van Dijk knows that the German coach cannot forbid him to travel to the Oranje training camp at the end of May or the beginning of June for the final round of the European Championship. There is a good relationship between the player and Klopp and the Dutchman will not do ill-considered things.’

Klopp is reportedly hesitant to allow his key man to play a part in the Euros this summer, no doubt wanting to keep him wrapped in cotton wool ahead of next season.

It is stated that there is a ‘good relationship’ between the Liverpool manager and Van Dijk’s national setup, though, so the right decision will likely be made in terms of what is most beneficial to the Reds superstar.

Transfer Tavern take

From a selfish Liverpool perspective, Van Dijk will hopefully not feature at the Euros, avoiding the risk of another injury setback ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

It could be that the defender still features for the Reds late this season, which would then make it difficult to deny him the chance to represent his country at a major tournament – a dream for so many players, and one which the defender hasn’t experienced even at 29.

Van Dijk needs to be managed extremely carefully by both club and country, ensuring he gets back to being the world-class footballer he had been before his injury.

In other news, many Liverpool fans have been begging the Reds to clinch the signing of one centre-back this summer. Read about who it is here.

Rangers’ unbeaten run in the Premiership continued as Steven Gerrard’s side earned a 1-1 draw against their Old Firm rivals at Parkhead on Sunday.

Mohamed Elyounoussi gave the hosts a first-half lead when he headed in Odsonne Edouard’s cross before Alfredo Morelos broke his duck in this fixture by heading home from a tight angle after Leon Balogun’s flick-on from a corner to equalise.

Both sides had chances to win it in the second half but the Ibrox outfit will be happy that their invincible status is still intact as we approach the final few fixtures of the season.

One Rangers man who impressed with his performance at Parkhead was Borna Barisic.

As per SofaScore, the Croatian international would earn an impressive 7.2/10 rating for his display, with only Alfredo Morelos (7.4) and Allan McGregor (7.9), of all the Rangers players who featured on Sunday, earning a higher rating.

The defender was a constant thorn in the home side’s defence, as he regularly pushed forward down the left-hand side and supplied dangerous crosses.

During the 90 minutes, Barisic would cross the ball 11 times, with five of these finding a Rangers teammate, although they unfortunately couldn’t find that second goal.

Perhaps most impressively, the 28-year-old, who joined Rangers for just £2.2 million in 2018, would play five key passes during his time on the pitch, which was more than every other Rangers player combined, which emphasises just how impressive he was on Sunday.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

For further comparison, the home side’s left-back Diego Laxalt made just one key pass during his time on the pitch, and wasn’t accurate in any of his three attempted crosses.

It wasn’t just his attacking play that made him stand out in the derby however, as he also contributed four clearances and one interception, whilst he wasn’t dribbled past once during the 90 minutes, which suggests that he had the better of his opposition for the majority of the game.

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Therefore, whilst Morelos might be the name on many Rangers fans’ lips after his equalising goal, it seems clear that Barisic was Gerrard’s star performer in the Old Firm.

And, in other news… Wilson can sign Rangers’ ideal Defoe heir with swoop for £6.3m-rated beast

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a comment from the Gers’ Supporters Liaison Officer Greg Marshall in regards to season tickets for the 2021/22 season.

With the Gers having already wrapped up this season’s Premiership title, all eyes will now be directed towards the next campaign as the Ibrox outfit attempt to defend their triumph. It will also be special for the fans, as they should be finally able to celebrate the success of their team at their home stadium.

Earlier this week, the Gers released a new page on their website for season ticket renewals, with the prices considerably lower than what they were this campaign. However, it seems the tickets will actually be more expensive than this term, and Marshall revealed the website page was just a test and the prices listed were not an indication of what it will actually cost supporters.

Marshall shared the news on Twitter, and it didn’t go down well with the supporters at all. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“There will be riots…..”

Credit: @GreigC22

“This is ridiculous. Why even put a price on them then? Folk have seen that & got their hopes up! Whoever done that has some explaining to do!”

Credit: @StaunchForever

“Shambles”

Credit: @scottgal85

“Up there with changing the RTV app in the middle of the season and people can’t see games they’ve paid for. Must do better.”

Credit: @uberhonda

“You should be testing offline. Totally ridiculous and amateur!! As if people wouldn’t notice and jump right on it.”

Credit: @davidjcoats1

“So you test something on a live website and put up a page on the website saying season ticket renewals now open ? Honestly how stupid are the admin team. No the first time they have done things like this”

Credit: @scottgraham89

In other news, Rangers fans react to this injury news.

Ally McCoist has urged Harry Kane to follow the example of Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe and move to a club that demands trophies.

McCoist urges Kane to follow Defoe’s lead

Defoe, who moved to the Gers in 2019, was recently speaking about England captain Kane and suggested that he needs to leave Tottenham to win trophies.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast [06:00, 29/03/21] , McCoist agreed with Defoe and said that Kane should follow his lead in moving to a club like Rangers, where there is pressure to succeed. The Ibrox icon said (via Ibrox News):

“It was brilliant listening to Jermain there, I get totally what he’s saying there.

“He’s now going up to Rangers where there’s a demand to win things that’s greater than anywhere else.

“There’s an expectation level – you’re not wanting to reach finals, you’re not hoping to reach finals or win the league, the difference is you’ve got to.

“It’s a massive, massive incentive and I’d like someone like Harry Kane to feel that kind of pressure, it’s a different kind of pressure.”

Vital

Before moving to Scotland, Defoe had won just one trophy throughout his career – the League Cup with Spurs way back in 2008. At the Gers, he has already doubled that haul after winning the Premiership, and the Gers still have the chance to lift the Scottish Cup this term as well.

With 57 England caps to his name and 163 Premier League goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt), Defoe has had fulfilled much of his potential, but this latest trophy victory is probably his crowning glory.

Kane already has 231 senior goals, of which 160 have come in the English top flight, but he will not be remembered among the greats as he rightly should unless he adds silverware to his CV. Unfortunately, that looks increasingly unlikely at Tottenham – he must switch to a club that expects trophies, like Defoe has done and McCoist has advised.

In other news, some Rangers fans react to this bizarre news on a former Ibrox hero.

Manchester City have been linked with both Pedro Neto and Jack Grealish in recent months but who would be the better addition to Pep Guardiola’s side?

Jack Grealish

According to the Daily Mail, City are favourites to sign the £100 million-rated Aston Villa captain this summer after his hugely impressive performances in Dean Smith’s side so far this season.

The 25-year-old has contributed six goals and 10 assists in 22 top-flight appearances so far this season, averaging a superb 7.73 rating – which sees him ranked as the second-best performer in the whole of the Premier League.

His performances over the past two seasons in the top-flight have seen him called up to the England squad, and after making his debut in September 2020, he has now earned five caps under Gareth Southgate.

Although there is no doubting his quality, Villa would undoubtedly demand a huge fee for Grealish, especially after he signed a new five-year contract with the Birmingham-based club ahead of the season.

Pedro Neto

According to journalist Duncan Castles on the Transfer Window podcast, both Manchester City and Manchester United are considering a move for the 21-year-old this summer after his excellent performances for Wolves.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have struggled in the absence of Raul Jimenez this season but have been aided by the excellent performances of Neto, who has contributed five goals and five assists in 29 appearances, resulting in an impressive 7.13 average rating.

The Portuguese international is now rated at £31.5 million by Transfermarkt, although with his Wolves contract running until 2025, you would perhaps expect the Old Gold to also demand a hefty fee for the former Lazio man.

Pundit Adrian Clarke certainly rates the winger highly, as he sang his praises earlier in the season, saying:

“I love Neto. I think Neto is destined to be a Champions League player in the not too distant future. I think they’ll do really well to hang on to him. You forget how young he is. He’s brilliant.”

Who would be the best option?

Although Grealish has arguably been the better performer this season and has the advantage of being homegrown, we feel that Neto would be the better long-term signing in Guardiola’s side as he is younger, would presumably cost less and possesses more pace than the Villa captain, so would be more useful as a counter-attacking winger at City in the mould of Leroy Sane or Raheem Sterling.

Therefore, Txiki Begiristain should consider bringing the Wolves man to the Etihad this summer, as it seems that he is destined for the top and he could become world-class under Guardiola.

And, in other news… Pep set for huge boost with “incredible” £90m-rated gem amid Romano claim