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Now that Neil Lennon knows he will be taking permanent charge of Celtic heading into next season he can get on the with the business of rebuilding a squad at the end of its current cycle.

The club may have just won a treble for the third consecutive year but fans will be expecting that success to be sustained, with the dream of progressing in Europe also a consideration.

With experienced players like Mikael Lustig out of contract and others first-team regulars such as Dedryck Boyata leaving, the Hoops boss has quite a task ahead of him when it comes to strengthening his squad for the challenges ahead.

On the chalkboard

The defensive line is the key priority for Lennon this summer, with arguably four or five defenders in different positions needing to come into the club and replace those moving on and improve upon what’s already available.

At centre-back both Boyata and Filip Benkovic will not be around so two quality first-team ready players will be needed to compete with Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

At right-back, Anthony Ralston is currently the only player expected to be available and given he has hardly played any matches for the Hoops over the last few years then another first-team calibre star is required in the position.

Those are simply the signings needed to keep up the numbers in the squad currently and although less of a priority, fans are craving a left-back that can play effective back-up to Kieran Tierney, who has been overused and run down in recent seasons to the detriment of his fitness and health.

Setting the tone

It’s fair to say that Lennon’s appointment has been fairly divisive amongst supporters of the Hoops, with many feeling he is a step backwards for the club and not able to maintain the standards set by Brendan Rodgers.

The way to get fans on board will be to both comfortably take care of early European qualifiers and also show real intent in the transfer market.

Fans are concerned that Lennon is simply the cheap option, but by showing authority and bringing in the signings he wants early in pre-season, he can demonstrate to supporters there is no reason to worry.

Sign a few quality players and there’ll be more hope around Celtic Park, providing the momentum needed heading into the new season.

Against all the expectations and the wishes of the fans, Ernesto Valverde has remained the head coach of Barcelona and will be there come next season. But as much as his work and achievements, especially in domestic competitions, should not be disregarded, there’s a universal feeling that he is just no longer the right manager for the Catalans, whether they want to admit it or not.

The board seem to be trusting Valverde, or rather, the president is despite numerous board members not sharing that view. Still, by the words of the man himself, famously spoken after the Anfield debacle, “it is what it is”, and we have to move on with that in mind.

But regardless of the Blaugrana board not wanting change, we’re nonetheless going to indulge the urge and see who might be a good choice for a Barcelona coach.

So, without further ado, here are 15 managers whocouldrestore Barcelona to greatness…

Thomas Tuchel

Even though his current campaign with PSG would not really attest to that, Thomas Tuchel is one of the best modern day coaches around.

His tactics, although sometimes perceived as too methodical, are quite exciting and proactive, which is the complete opposite of what Valverde has in mind and thus, exactly what the fans would like to see at the Camp Nou.

Marcelo Bielsa

Imagine this: it’s a beautiful, sunny day in Catalunya; people are drinking coffee outside, children are playing and birds chirping… But suddenly, you hear noise coming from the Camp Nou.

It’s Marcelo Bielsa screaming at his players to start running and stop sulking. Even Messi is doing sprints up and down the pitch. Absolute madness… Can you imagine it? Neither can we but it would be absolutely hilarious. And effective.

Xavi Hernandez

Ah, the prodigal son. From Johan Cruyff to Joseph Guardiola and to Xavi Hernandez – that’s the natural order of things and it will undoubtedly come true one day. This coveted midfielder, best of his generation (and all time?), has a brilliant mind and high footballing IQ.

But is he ready to step up? Well, if it were up to him then no, as he has stated before. But there’s no doubt Cules would welcome him with open arms.

Maurizio Sarri

Sarriball is… Weird. Sometimes it works like a charm and then the Blues somehow shoot themselves in the foot. But as peculiar as it may sound, Sarriball is the Italian tiki-taka and Barcelona are all about that. Sarri had trouble implementing his vision in England but still managed to get the Europa League crown.

Spain would definitely be a better fit and among those teams, Barca are the best match. One Campari and tiki-taka, to go, please!

Erik tan Hag

The current Ajax manager is a pretty tempting choice for Barcelona and for obvious reasons, too. His style of play, mentality and philosophy coincide with those of the Catalan giants: Possession based football with a brave attacking mindset.

In many ways, ten Hag is everything that Valverde isn’t, and if you ask Cules, that’s a great quality to have. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years.

Oscar Garcia

Well now we’re just pushing our luck, we know.

Yes, Garcia is not your usual high-profile, perfect for big teams kind of guy but he does possess certain qualities that make him somewhat attractive for Barcelona: he spent 15 years at the club (and La Masia), knows their core values and has coached their youth outfits while Pep was managing the senior team.

Something must have stuck with him after all those years. Worth a shot.

Lionel Messi

Now here’s a cracker – Lionel Messi has already discarded the possibility of ever becoming a coach in the future but seeing how he already more or less manages the Argentina team and reportedly has a huge say in Barcelona’s business, seeing him as a player/ manager would be quite something.

Not that this option is on the cards but the fans do want a radical change. It does not get much more radical than this.

Julen Lopetegui

What? An ex-Madrid coach at the helm of Barcelona? Blasphemy! Well, yes, true, but he does fit the system more than he did at Real, which was evident in his short and rather disastrous spell in the capital.

But his possession-based attacking football would be a much better fit for the Catalan outfit and would no doubt have more success there. Will it ever happen? Wouldn’t really bet on it, no.

Mauricio Pochettino

“I’d rather work on a farm than coach Barcelona”, were the words of Mauricio Pochettino when he was asked about this gig. It doesn’t surprise us coming from an ex-Espanyol man but in addition to feeling a general hatred towards Barca, Poch also has a brilliant mind.

There’s no denying he would do great things at the Camp Nou. Too bad it will never happen.

Pep Guardiola

Yeah, yeah, we know – Pep Guardiola, can you be more cliché than that? Granted, this is cheesy and predictable but good ol’ Pep is still the perfect fit for Barcelona.

Sure, he reached his peak in his short but extremely successful spell in Catalunya back in the day but his principles have not changed and Barcelona are in dire need of his blueprint. Would he propel them to instant success? Who knows, but saying that he wouldn’t improve them would be ignorant.

Keeping Keiren Westwood at Sheffield Wednesday is a must, right?

The veteran goalkeeper showed everyone that he still had what it takes to be a top-class number one in the Championship when he was re-established to the side following Steve Bruce’s arrival as manager – Jos Luhukay, what were you playing at?!

His, like so many of his team-mates, deal with the club is set to expire this summer and there had been doubts about whether the Owls would be able to come to an agreement with him about extending his stay.

And, according to Alan Nixon, it seems that he may be about to put pen-to-paper over a new deal and it seems he could be ready to commit his future for a couple of years, as is Liam Palmer as well.

The Sun journalist took to Twitter to share the news, stating: “Very positive signs about a deal for Westwood and Palmer. Word is agreed to give both a couple of years.”

Indeed, keeping Westwood at Hillsborough would be a huge deal that will have the Wednesdaynites celebrating, however, it could also be the biggest one they complete all summer.

It would not be a surprise if Bruce was able to recruit a couple of players to try and strengthen his side for his first full season in charge, however, keeping the Republic of Ireland international in between the sticks is vitally important.

Westwood, despite his age, still has plenty left to offer the club and if his performances in the last four months or so were anything to go by, then he will definitely have a role to play next season and could finally help them get to the play-offs, or maybe even go one better.

Sheffield Wednesday fans, how big do you think getting a deal done for Westwood will be for the club’s future? Do you think it could be the best piece of business the club could do this summer? Let us know below!

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With Aston Villa having secured promotion to the Premier League via the play-off finals last season, manager Dean Smith will now be looking to put his own stamp on the playing squad during this summer’s transfer window. Today’s Villa transfer roundup includes an interest in a top-tier full-back, a potential move for a Barcelona target and an update on a Spanish U21 international.

Matt Targett targeted

Southampton’s Matt Targett is of interest to the Villans according to the Sun. He is reportedly Smith’s first choice and would cost around £10m. Targett started 13 games for the Saints last season but spent most of the campaign as Ryan Bertrand’s understudy.

Villa battle Real and Barca for winger

According to Spanish website Cordopolis, Villa are interested in Cordoba’s Andres Martin. The winger is just 19 years old and enjoyed a breakthrough season in Spain’s second division, scoring seven goals and making four assists. Barcelona and Real Madrid are also all interested.

“Nothing” in Fornals speculation

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has poured cold water on a potential Pablo Fornals move to Villa Park. Wild claims on Twitter had suggested that the player had been given permission to have a medical with Villa ahead of a £25m move, but Nixon has said there is “nothing” in it. The Villareal midfielder is now expected to sign for West Ham in the coming days.

شهدت تدريبات نادي الزمالك عودة محمود الونش بعد التعافي من الإصابة بفيروس كورونا، والتي أبعدته عن صفوف الفريق خلال الفترة الماضية.

ويستعد الزمالك لمواجهة المقاولون العرب في الجولة الأولى من الدوري المصري يوم السبت المقبل 12 من ديسمبر.

طالع | موعد مباراة الزمالك القادمة في الدوري المصري 2020-2021

وشارك الونش في المران الجماعي للزمالك بشكل طبيعي استعدادا لمباراة المقاولون العرب المقبلة في افتتاح مباريات الدوري.

يذكر، أن الونش تغيب عن المشاركة مع الزمالك في مباراة نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا أمام الأهلي والتي خسرها الأبيض، إلى جانب مواجهة طلائع الجيش في كأس مصر.

With Roy Hodgson looking to gear up for yet another Premier League season, how do you Palace fans feel the 71-year-old manager will set up for the new campaign? Do you think you will still have the likes of Wilfried Zaha to play in your attack? It certainly is a big summer ahead.

Of course, a 12th-place finish isn’t amazing, but it wasn’t a relegation battling season and that is hugely positive for a club like Crystal Palace. But is it time we begin to see the Eagles fly up the table and make more of a challenge for those top 10 places?

Here we are going to take a look at a couple of players we feel are going to struggle in trying to step up next season.

James Tomkins 

After having a fairly busy season, the 30-year-old defender may just have seen the end of his last ‘busy’ season. With players like Jairo Riedewald and Ryan Inniss coming into the side, it may be time to see some fresh new blood in their defence come the start of the new term.

There is no doubt that the English centre-back will want to continue for as long as he possibly can but, with young blood coming through playing the modern way of football, it may just be too much for him to overcome.

It will be interesting to see how a player like Tomkins handles being second choice in defence.

Wayne Hennessey 

The arrival of Vicente Guaita shook the goalkeeper pecking order, leaving Wayne Hennessey in an unfavourable position.

After being shoved out after 18 games in goal, it looks as if we are going to be seeing a lot of Hennessey on the Crystal Palace bench next season, should the 32-year-old not try and move away from Selhurst Park during the summer.

We are finally seeing a Premier League proven Crystal Palace side, and it’s time for them to starting pushing for a higher finish in the Premier League table.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was reported by Le Parisian that French champions Paris Saint-Germain are considering a move for James Milner.

The 33-year-old midfielder will be out of contract at Anfield next summer – although the aforementioned report wrongly states that it expires this summer – and Thomas Tuchel has reportedly been keeping tabs on the situation.

Mo Salah has been brutally mocked for his recent diving antics in a new video by 442oons. Check it out below…

Milner would offer the club from the French capital a wealth of experience and versatility, although it seems unlikely that he will go anywhere this summer given how important he is to Jurgen Klopp; the German boss has used Milner at left-back, right-back and in midfield throughout 2018/19.

He is also clearly loved by Reds supporters, who have taken to Twitter in numbers to have their say on this transfer story with some ordering PSG to back off.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tweets on this strange and inaccurate transfer story…

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A number of Manchester United fans are struggling to agree when it comes to the latest news surrounding the club’s number one goalkeeper David De Gea.

Indeed, according to The Sun, United are confident that De Gea will sign a new five-year contract at Old Trafford after raising their contract offer to £350,000-a-week.

However, whilst a number of the supporters are delighted to learn that the 28-year-old could pen a new long-term deal, others are not so sure.

De Gea has developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world over the last few seasons, putting in a string of impressive performances for the Red Devils.

However, the stopper, who has lost his spot as Spain’s number one, made a number of mistakes in the latter stages of the 2018-19 campaign, including this one against Barcelona.

As it stands, the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper will see his contract at Old Trafford expire at the end of next season.

Could United be in the hunt for an £85m blockbuster signing this summer? Check out the video below…

And there are those United fans who would not be too upset if De Gea departed – that opinion, though, is certainly not shared by everyone.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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According to an exclusive from TEAMTalk, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton have asked Juventus about starlet striker and Englishman Stephy Mavididi.

What’s the word, then?

The report claims that the Saints are one of nine clubs to have enquired about taking the 21-year-old on loan for the 2019/2020 campaign.

The others – Everton, Newcastle United, Burnley, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Derby County, Fulham and Middlesbrough – all hail from either the Premier League or the Championship.

Mavididi started his career with Arsenal back in his native land enjoying loans at Preston North End and Charlton Athletic twice as he progressed through the ranks before the Old Lady came calling last summer to take him to Italy on a permanent basis. He has made 18 appearances for England youth in the under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-20 sides.

Ideal for Hasenhuttl’s style

Ever since Hasenhuttl took over at St Mary’s just before the turn of the year, the Saints’ style of play has transformed into an exciting, high-pressing one.

The Austrian must look for players who fit into that ideology this summer and Mavididi is ideal in this regard, having been subjected to the Juve philosophy for a whole season now.

The Italian giants were one of the original teams to use this pressing preference and it’s something they still do to great effect today, with their strikers being taught to strangle the defenders.

Southampton’s new man Moussa Djenepo divides opinion amongst fans in the video below…

But you can do well what the manager tells you to as much as you want but if you don’t have the quality and the pedigree, then it’s pointless.

And that’s perhaps the major concern over the attacking hotshot. Would he really be able to challenge Danny Ings to start up front having only netted six times in Serie C for his current club’s under-23s last term?

Well, Max Allegri did see fair to give Mavididi his senior Juventus debut at the back end of the 2018/2019 campaign and if it turns out that he’s not good enough for the Premier League, then the Saints will have lost nothing with Mavididi only on loan until the end of the season.

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According to a report back in March, Everton and Director of Football Marcel Brands had two strikers, full-backs, a centre-back, a midfielder and a keeper on their summer transfer wishlist – one of those has already been ticked off with the arrival of Huddersfield stopper Jonas Lossl.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of that report is the fact that the Toffees want two strikers. Marco Silva already has Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun at his disposal, whilst Oumar Niasse is set to return from a loan spell at Cardiff.

The likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Danny Welbeck have already been strongly linked with a move to Goodison Park, but there’s no need to recruit two new front men after a decision Everton made earlier this month; the one to sign young Ellis Simms up to a first professional contract.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

At just 18 years of age, Simms shone for Paul Tait’s Under-18 side in 2018/19 and netted a whopping 32 goals in just 21 games in the U18 Premier League, whilst also making his debut for David Unsworth’s title winning Under-23 side.

Despite his youthful age, Simms has shown remarkable ability to score goals. The wonderkid is already on the radar of Europe’s top clubs such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, and Silva certainly needs to start taking the teenager’s incredible talent seriously.

It has been reported that the Toffees are prepared to offer Welbeck a contract in excess of £100,000-a-week in order to lure him to Merseyside, whilst Mitrovic will assumingly cost upwards of the £22m Fulham spent on him just a year ago.

Perhaps Everton do need a bit of extra firepower to truly challenge the Premier League’s top sides, but Brands would be saving the club a wad of cash if he lined up Simms to fill one of the two striker slots on his alleged wish list.