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A number of Liverpool supporters have been left excited by an official club post showing Mohamed Salah returning to pre-season training.

Euro 2020 has taken centre stage over the past month, but it’s time for the focus to return to the Reds. Jurgen Klopp’s men are back in pre-season training on Monday as they prepare to try and wrestle back the Premier League title from Manchester City.

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The 2020/21 campaign was a draining one at Anfield, with injuries and the absence of fans for most of the season taking its toll, but the hope is that Liverpool return to their best this time around.

Someone who will clearly be key to the Reds’ chances is Salah, who was comfortably their Player of the Year last season, scoring 31 goals.

On Sunday, the club’s official Twitter account posted a photo of the 29-year-old back in the fold as he looks to wreak yet more havoc as he enters his fifth season as a Liverpool player.

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Liverpool fans react as Salah returns

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to express their delight at seeing Salah back for pre-season.

“Things I love to see”

Credit: @pearlserery

“Another Golden Boot charge, let’s gooooo”

Credit: @ChrisHPE

“This is content. Back to normal”

Credit: @Airsculpture

“Exciting times”

Credit: @Masibanda01

“Yes Mo! Roll on the Prem”

Credit: @craigdono_lfc

“Our one season wonder ready to boss a 5th.”

Credit: @OldSwanBob

In other news, some Liverpool fans are happy with a Reds exit rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Football.London’s Sam Inkersole reckons that West ham will “cave in” and pay Vladimir Coufal what he wants to extend his deal at the London Stadium.

The right-back made the £5m switch from Slavia Prague last September and went from strength to strength for the Hammers – producing several outstanding performances to help David Moyes’ side qualify for the Europa League.

Coufal registered an impressive seven assists in 34 Premier League appearances, establishing himself as one of the most consistent full-backs in the division.

According to Sky Sports, West Ham have offered Coufal, who enjoyed an impressive Euro 2020 with Czech Republic, an improved contract, although the defender’s representatives have been left unhappy with the financial package being presented by GSB.

However, despite their difference in Coufal’s worth, Inkersole knows the importance of getting the impressive right-back tied down to long-terms.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s been brilliant. He had a good Euro’s as well – and was an utter bargain at £5m. I’m not surprised West Ham are trying to tie him down, but he needs to get paid and he utterly deserves that.

“He was one of the best right-back’s in the division. I’m surprised that West Ham tried to low ball him a little bit, I think they will cave in and give him what he’s worth.”

Coufal has more than earned a contract extension and a pay rise, and whilst the two parties are still in disagreement, you fully expect a player of that importance to be signed up sooner rather than later.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane, regarding Sheffield United’s interest in his services. 

What’s the talk?

According to Mirror journalist Darren Witcoop, Sheffield United are stepping up their interest in Aston Villa’s central midfielder Conor Hourihane as they appear set to miss out on a deal for Fulham’s Tom Cairney.

Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi has ruled West Brom out of the race for Hourihane. The local Baggies reporter has stated that the Championship side are not in the running for his signature as it stands.

Time’s up

Johan Lange must ruthlessly axe Hourihane from Villa’s squad this summer by making the most of Sheffield United’s eagerness to sign him. He should negotiate a deal to send the experienced battler to the Blades, whether that be on loan or on a permanent basis as he should not be a part of Dean Smith’s plans in the Premier League heading into next season.

The 30-year-old’s contract at Villa Park expires in 2022 and he will be a free agent come the end of the 2021/22 campaign. This means that Lange could either sell him now or loan him out and get his wages off the books for the final year of his deal before allowing him to depart for nothing.

Of course, Villa would rather get money for him now, but there is no guarantee a team will be willing to pay for him given the current climate. That means a loan may be more viable.

After dropping Hourihane for Jacob Ramsey ahead of a 1-0 win over Wolves last season, Smith admitted he was being “harsh on” by not selecting the midfielder. 

He told BBC Sport:

“(Ramsey) is a good player. I had no qualms about putting him in. Probably a little bit harsh on Conor. Conor played okay at West Ham, but I just felt with (Ramsey’s) legs and his energy in the last couple of weeks in training that he could handle it.”

This shows that Smith does not believe the £42k-per-week dud has the stamina to compete regularly in the Premier League. He was subsequently loaned out to Swansea in the Championship, where he scored five goals in 22 appearances for Steve Cooper’s side.

In the 2019/20 Premier League season, Hourihane averaged 0.9 tackles and interceptions combined per game and managed a WhoScored rating of 6.69. This suggests that he struggled with the pace of the game in the top-flight, which would tie in with Smith’s decision to pick Ramsey ahead of Hourihane because of his energy in the middle of the park.

Therefore, Villa should be trying their hardest to get him out of the club this summer. Otherwise, his weekly salary will continue to drain the owners with little payback from the player in terms of his performances on the pitch.

AND in other news, Lange must secure Villa deal for “unorthodox” 5 ft 10 gem, Smith would be excited…

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield insists that Jack Grealish will not hand in a transfer request to force a move to Manchester City this summer.

The England international has been heavily linked with a potential move to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Reports have claimed that City have tabled a bid worth £100m to extricate Grealish from Villa Park and The Athletic claims that the deal is at an advanced stage, with Pep Guardiola looking to strengthen his squad after winning last season’s Premier League title.

Grealish has emerged as a genuinely elite player during his time with Villa and enjoyed a fabulous season in 2020/21 prior to sustaining a major injury to his shin bone.

The 25-year-old made 27 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals and laying on 12 assists.

Grealish then played a major role in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final, laying on two assists, against both the Czech Republic and Germany.

Hatfield believes that he will remain respectful to Villa and does not think that he will make any moves to force a deal through.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: “I don’t think Grealish would out and out throw his toys out of the pram and refuse to play for Villa, put it that way. We’ve seen that with some protracted transfers before where the player’s on a lengthy deal and he ends up saying ‘well, I’m not going to play for you then, I’ll just sit here and run out the contract’, and it gets very awkward.

“The issue is with Grealish, he’s club captain, he’s a Villa fan, a boyhood Villain, I don’t think he would ever put the club in that kind of position.

“I think there’s probably an agreement to be had there between the player and the club where if the player feels that a move is right, that the club would agree as long as the money was right as well.”

Lee Ryder has revealed what he describes as a ‘bitter blow’ to Newcastle United officials regarding their anti-competition case against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Another delay

Back in May, it was reported that the top flight had been granted an extension to respond to the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) claim with regards to the stalled takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

However, the case has now been delayed further until September, adding on top of the separate arbitration claim being adjourned until early next year.

The Latest: CAT delay

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, football journalist and takeover follower Ryder has confirmed that the CAT claim has now been delayed until September, it what he describes as a ‘bitter blow’ to officials at St. James’ Park.

He also claimed that the Premier League will continue to try to get the case thrown out, as a hearing date is yet to be confirmed.

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying that the CAT case has been delayed until September, especially given that the arbitration proceedings have also been delayed.

It means that the North East club will not have the embarrassment of riches that they would have had to spend in the summer transfer window, should both cases have gone to plan and a takeover was subsequently completed.

The Toon Army now face yet another season of uncertainty, and it is not a guarantee that Steve Bruce will be able to keep his team in the division this time around without some players coming in through the door, meaning that the takeover could still be put in jeopardy come next year when the arbitration process is set to begin.

In other news, find out which Premier League ace NUFC are in talks to sign here!

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to Steven Gerrard’s starting line-up for the Gers’ match against Livingston on Saturday.

The Light Blues will kick off their Premiership title defence with a clash against Livingston at Ibrox. Of course, the 55-time Scottish champions didn’t lose a single game at all in the league last year (thefishy.co.uk), and they will be hoping to replicate that or at the very least retain their trophy this time around.

Around an hour before the match, Gerrard’s first XI has been selected. There is no place for Allan McGregor or Borna Barisic, while Fashion Sakala will start ahead of Cedric Itten despite the latter netting three times in pre-season.

Fellow new signing John Lundstram is on the bench – either way, this is a strong team that will expect to win this match.

The starting line-up was shared on Twitter by the Gers’ official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the XI below

“I like the look of sakala but seems unfair on itten.. waited his time and been impressive pre season. If he cant start now what hopes he got”

Credit: @Gordonhannay

“delete”

Credit: @hannahfirman_30

“Thats…..bold”

Credit: @BasherSoccer

“What a random line up. Love it”

Credit: @martinsuth90

“Didn’t see that team coming! Let’s go”

Credit: @a22an

“Never seen that coming”

Credit: @KelmanPeter

In other news, Rangers fans slam this club update.

Southampton are once again being linked with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Thomas Delaney, and the Denmark international could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

What’s the word?

According to German news outlet Sport BILD, Dortmund will sell the 29-year-old for just £9m, with Premier League trio Norwich City, Southampton and Crystal Palace all credited with an interest.

Although Southampton’s transfer model under Hasenhuttl has mainly prioritised younger players, the summer signing of Theo Walcott shows that the Austrian is willing to buck that trend on occasion, and he should do the same with Delaney, who was also linked with the Saints back in June.

The former Werder Bremen man is available for a bargain fee which is within Southampton’s budget and would add some much-needed depth in midfield.

Last season saw Southampton’s form drop off a cliff when Oriol Romeu was out injured, with Ibrahima Diallo struggling to replicate the Spaniard’s form, whilst Stuart Armstrong looks wasted in the middle and doesn’t offer the defensive discipline of someone like Romeu or Delaney.

The 29-year-old was a key part of Kasper Hjulmand’s Denmark side this summer as they reached the semi-finals of the European Championship, contributing one goal in six appearances and averaging a very solid 6.96 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Imagine him and Ward-Prowse

During the early stages of last season, we saw how effective a midfield partnership of James Ward-Prowse and Romeu could be, with the former Chelsea man doing the dirty work (no Southampton regular won more tackles per game), allowing the Saints captain to push forward and contribute more in attack.

Delaney could perform a similar role at St Mary’s next season and would even open up the possibility of switching to a formation with three central midfielders, which could make Hasenhuttl’s team a lot more defensively secure after they shipped the second-most goals in the top flight last season.

WhoScored describes Delaney’s main strengths as blocking the ball, tackling, interceptions and aerial duels, which is everything you could hope for in a defensive midfielder, so he would surely compliment Ward-Prowse very well in Southampton’s side next season.

Former Dortmund interim boss Edin Terzic was full of praise for the Denmark midfielder last season, saying: “Thomas Delaney always performs well, not just in the last two games. He is definitely a very important player who stabilises our defence and is always capable of destabilising our opponents. That is very important in this position. We are lucky to have a player like him in the squad.”

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However, it now seems as if the 29-year-old will be available at a bargain price this summer, so Martin Semmens should definitely be looking to bring him to St Mary’s.

In other news… Southampton dealt blow over “fantastic” Euro 2020 star, fans will be gutted

Serie A expert Conor Clancy believes that Dusan Vlahovic may not be ready to replace Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur, should the England captain leave the club.

Kane continues to be linked with a move away from Spurs, with Manchester City trying to do a deal to bring him into the club, having already signed Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.

He would be a very difficult player for Spurs to replace but they have been linked with a number of strikers throughout the transfer window.

One such name is Vlahovic, who impressed at Fiorentina last season, although Sky Sports report that Spurs are interested in a deal regardless of Kane’s future.

The 21-year-old is already a Serbia international and he enjoyed a breakthrough season last term, scoring 21 Serie A goals in 37 games, while also laying on two assists.

Clancy, who is the editor in chief at Forza Italian Football, has his doubts over whether the striker is ready to step into Kane’s shoes, although he thinks he will end up having a superb career regardless of his next transfer move.

He said: “It might be a case of if he goes and replaces someone like Kane now, it might be a little bit too much off the back of one good season at Fiorentina, but he’s definitely got the raw talent there to have a huge career, and playing with Son might be amazing for him.”

With less than two weeks to go, Tottenham Hotspur are by no means finished in the transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to renowned Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who was speaking on Sky Sports News on Monday morning, the North London outfit are targeting another three signings at least.

Spurs have already signed the likes of Atalanta duo Pierluigi Gollini and Cristian Romero, and Bryan Gil from Sevilla, but they appear to be targeting further additions before the end of the month.

He said (via a clip sourced by Football Daily):

“First of all, Fabio Paratici always works like this. He’s used to working on loads of different players for the same position, so for Tottenham fans, they should get used to this kind of work from Fabio Paratici.

“Now he’s going for another centre-back. He wants another centre-back for Tottenham. We will see if it’ll be Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina – also West Ham are interested in him – or a different player but he could be one of the candidates, one of the options at centre-back for Tottenham.

“They are also looking for a midfielder. They have had contact with Cagliari for Nahitan Nandez. A Uruguayan midfielder who’s an interesting player. Inter wanted him before signing Denzel Dumfries from PSV Eindhoven.

“And [they are] also [in] for a back-up striker if Harry Kane will stay because they are looking for this kind of solution or a replacement, of course, if Harry Kane will leave the club. Keep an eye on Dusan Vlahovic, the striker of Fiorentina. Atletico Madrid want him but they have no agreement with Fiorentina or the player. Tottenham are still keen on him. Fiorentina want around €70m, so it won’t be easy.”

Paratici wants more!

Spurs kickstarted the new Premier League season in the perfect way, getting the Nuno Santo era off to the perfect start with a 1-0 victory over defending champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Of all the new arrivals, only Romero featured as he came off the bench in the final minute of regular time to make his debut.

It’s understandable that the Portuguese did not throw the Argentine straight in the deep end as he had only just returned from an injury he picked up during the Copa America final.

Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier were selected instead. However, despite their clean sheet and impressive performances, they were two players who were key to their defensive problems last season.

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Individual mistakes not only led to Spurs recording the worst defensive record of any of the ‘big six’ but the aforementioned duo were deemed to be “one of the worst partnerships in the Premier League” by ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara on talkSPORT.

That’s why they need yet another centre-back addition, so it’s hugely encouraging news that it’s a clear aim for Paratici.

What makes this latest development even more exciting is that he’s after a midfielder and striker to bolster Nuno’s squad depth. Players like Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks are pretty poor backups and were both mooted with an exit throughout the off-season.

Meanwhile, this ongoing Kane saga is certainly going to go down to the wire, so the Lilywhites need to plan for all eventualities. Currently he has no backup, with last season’s loan alternative Carlos Vinicius back at Benfica.

Similarly, if Kane does join Manchester City, it would leave Nuno with no striker. On Sunday, he opted for Heung-min Son in attack. He scored the winning goal but again, if he’s to be a striker, then he will also need a backup.

Therefore, as the transfer window draws to a close, the Spurs faithful will surely be buoyed by Romano’s fresh update on Spurs’ likely transfer plans. A perfect start to the season could be matched by some more phenomenal work by Paratici.

Only time will tell if Spurs can make it a super six of new signings.

AND in other news, Forget Son: £18m-rated “nightmare” was Spurs’ unsung hero in shock Man City win…

Sunderland fans were livid with the performance of Aiden McGeady during their 1-0 defeat to Burton Albion on Tuesday evening.

The Black Cats started the season very promisingly, winning each of their first three games 2-1 in all competitions (Sky Sports).

They will have been confident of continuing that winning streak against Burton Albion this midweek, but they were defeated by a Jonny Smith goal. Lee Johnson’s side are still in a respectable eighth in the League One table, but this is no doubt a setback after such a strong start to the campaign.

McGeady was in fantastic form for Sunderland last term, managing six goals and 17 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). But so far this time around, he has been unable to find that same level of play. Against Burton, he once again failed to reach the standards that are expected of him given his undoubted ability.

The Sunderland fans were far from happy with what they saw from the £653,000-valued 35-year-old (Transfermarkt), and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on his showing.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about McGeady below

“Absolute travesty of a result – we were infinitely the better team and the disallowed goal at the end summed it all up! That said though McGeady wants flogging for that miss in the first half – try that when you’re 3-0 up not at 0-0”

Credit: @Scookie555

“Promising performance, those two missed opportunities from Ross and McGeady cost us. It hurts more when you know you deserved to win. That linesman is my new nemesis.”

Credit: @fiona2608

“Maybe yeh mcgeady was off his game again, any news on Evans injury I’d bring him In for onien but got a feeling Johnson will bench Neil”

Credit: @chopper_safc

“I agree with that he’s looking a little unfit to me diamonds pace may be a better option or even hawkes”

Credit: @1charlie29

“Agree. Think he’s starting to fade unfortunately.”

Credit: @LdoubleE_87

“No, he was horrendous today but is levels above everyone else we’ve got on his day”

Credit: @safc28

In other news, Sunderland fans rage at these club struggles.