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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Chris Sutton has been left impressed by Celtic winger Mikey Johnston recently and thinks this is a hugely important season for the player, writing in his Daily Record column.

What’s he said?

Johnston has looked like one of the brightest performers for Celtic this summer, scoring in pre-season friendlies and getting on the scoresheet against FK Sarajevo on Tuesday night in UEFA Champions League qualifying.

The winger has had a difficult road towards being considered a starter for the Hoops, with Sutton noting he was unfairly played out of position by Brendan Rodgers against Rangers at Ibrox back in December.

However, the pundit reckons he can now have a big season.

Watch a tribute to Celtic’s late Lisbon Lion and greatest ever captain, Billy McNeill in the video below…

As quoted by The Daily Record, Sutton said:

“Mikey Johnston’s superb goal for Celtic in Sarajevo was a huge moment in the Champions League tie and for his manager. But it was also massive for the player.

“The sweet strike eased any creeping feeling of tension out in Bosnia and could be the making of Johnston.

“A lot is expected of the lad and this is going to be an extremely important season.

“Let’s be honest, he was shafted in the two Old Firm games at Ibrox last season. Johnston was unfairly chucked in up front in the first one and a lot put on his shoulders in the second one.

“Celtic lost both and he was harshly made a scapegoat but I’ve been impressed with his response since.”

Bright future

Johnston is certainly one of the most notable academy talents coming through at Celtic right now, being involved in more matches than others such as Ewan Henderson and Anthony Ralston.

Still just 20 years of age, the winger looks to be on the verge of making that left wing position his own having been started in the Scottish Cup Final and a big European match mid-week.

If he can consistently find goals and assists like the one of each he provided against Sarajevo then it’ll be hard for established players like Scott Sinclair to convince Lennon that the youngster should be dropped.

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Friday’s Premier League transfer roundup brought you an enquiry made for Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, West Ham’s offer for Sebastien Haller and Manchester United’s prepared bid for Yusuf Yazici. Today’s edition includes Arsenal’s rejected attempt to bring in a Celtic full-back, Tottenham’s offer for a Serie A youngster and Liverpool’s eyes on a former Anfield star.

Arsenal’s Tierney bid rejected

Unai Emery has a relatively slim budget to work with this summer at the Emirates Stadium, so you can forgive him for attempting to stretch it as far as possible. However, other clubs who are having their players targeted are unlikely to be so understanding. That is the case with Celtic, who have rejected a bid from the Gunners for left-back Kieran Tierney. The London outfit offered £25m for the 22-year-old, but that was not good enough for the Scottish Premier League champions. For them, Arsenal wanted to pay too much of the sum in add-ons, with the Bhoys instead looking to receive a bigger portion upfront.

Tottenham make Zaniolo offer

Tottenham have already done some good business this summer, with both Jack Clarke and Tanguy Ndombele having joined. And they aren’t about to stop there, it seems. According to journalist Alfredo Pedulla, the Lilywhites have made an offer to AS Roma for their 20-year-old playmaker Nicolo Zaniolo. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have lodged a bid of €27m (£24.3m), with Toby Alderweireld also included the deal. That will bring the overall package to €50m (£45m). With the former Southampton defender already being a target for the Giallorossi, it may be enough to convince the Serie A club to part with the Italian international.

Liverpool eye Coutinho return

Philippe Coutinho signed for FC Barcelona for a huge in January of last year after having impressed during his time in the Premier League. However, since then, things have not gone his way. He may even be on the move this summer, and a return to his former club is a possibility. According to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, the Reds have made a bid for the Brazilian. Jurgen Klopp and co are looking to take him on an initial two-year loan, with a purchase option of £88m. The 27-year-old has also agreed to the Merseyside’s club’s proposal.

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Liverpool are getting complacent.

This is a team that, for all intents and purposes, ran the very best side English football has ever seen as close as it has ever been run before.

Manchester City, that irrepressible winning machine under Pep Guardiola, won the league by a single, solitary point on the final day last season. They lost four games throughout the campaign. Liverpool only lost one.

City were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool beat them in the final in Madrid to be crowned champions of Europe yet again.

Why, though, is Jurgen Klopp actively choosing against strengthening his squad?

Reports have suggested that he mainly wants to sign players of the ilk of Xherdan Shaqiri, snaffled away from Stoke City after their relegation at the end of the 2017/18 season. He cost £13m.

City, the team that have won the last two Premier League titles, have already broken their transfer record to secure Rodri from Atletico Madrid. He is likely to be the long-term replacement for Fernandinho, the 34-year-old defensive midfielder.

Even Spurs, the foes the Reds vanquished in Madrid, have already broken their transfer record to sign Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon.

Liverpool have signed 17-year-old defender Sepp van den Berg. That is all so far this summer.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United legend who built a dynasty as manager, wrote in his book that, when he won his first league title in 1993 at United, the thought of his team slacking off “appalled him”. He wrote that he told his players: “‘Some people, when they have a holiday, just want to go to Saltcoats, twenty-five miles along the coast from Glasgow.

“Some people don’t even want to do that. They’re happy to stay at home or watch the birds and the ducks float by in the park. And some want to go to the moon.

“It’s about people’s ambitions”.

Liverpool aren’t showing much ambition.

They have exceptional footballers in their squad; Mohamed Salah has emerged as one of the best strikers in Europe, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are excellent, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson are both wonderful flying full-backs.

But there are signings to be made in this squad; Ferguson, always, was looking to build, he was looking for the next challenge. After winning the Premier League title, he wanted to win the next one.

Paul Hayward, the Telegraph journalist who was the ghostwriter on Ferguson’s autobiography, said that United losing the title to City was the most painful moment of the Scot’s career and that there was “more plotting, more intensity, more detail than ever” as he looked to overhaul them.

The same fire should be burning within Klopp. He took Liverpool to within a point of their first ever Premier League title and a team who suffered four times the amount of defeats as his side in the Premier League beat him.

Liverpool, as noted, are very good, but there could be more depth added. They could use an attacking midfielder; the likes of Fabinho, Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum are all functional players instead of being the kind of forward-thinking playmakers that City have in David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Depth on the wing would be useful too; there is precious little beyond Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. They do not want to be relying on Divock Origi next season.

Ferguson was a master of this. Look at the 1999 squad that won the treble. United had Teddy Sheringham, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, their current manager, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole up front. In his final season, as they knocked City off their perch after signing Robin van Persie, they boasted the Dutchman, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck in attack, supplemented by the likes of Ryan Giggs, Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, prior to the latter’s shift to a full-back.

Liverpool don’t have anywhere near as much depth and yet Klopp is placing his faith in the side that almost got over the line last season.

It would be admirable if it was not so naïve. The German knows how to win trophies but he has not won a league title since 2012. Perhaps he is too wedded to what he knows, to the players who have given him excellent results and performances.

It was easy last summer; Loris Karius was terrible in the Champions League final so Alisson Becker replaced him.

It is harder after a successful season but bringing in fresh blood has a threefold effect; firstly, it refreshes the team and ensures that there is greater competition for places; secondly, if the signing is right and of a sufficient profile, it can send a statement of intent to the rest of the league; thirdly, it reassures fans that steps are being taken to improve on what has gone before.

As it is, that is not happening. Klopp, right now, appears to be placing his faith in the mantra of not changing what isn’t broken.

But in football, teams need to evolve, squads need to evolve and players need to evolve. The best way for that to happen is by recruiting from a position of strength.

Liverpool, if they keep their powder dry, are in serious danger of being left behind.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Roma are interested in Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren as they look to explore alternatives to Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld, per Gazzetta dello Sport.

What’s the word?

Roma have been linked with a move for the central defender throughout the summer transfer window.

The £25m release clause in his contract has expired but the Serie A club have not given up on the prospect of acquiring the Belgium international.

Nevertheless, Gazzetta claims that Lovren has emerged as a target.

Indeed, the report says that the Italian giants are confident of reducing his €20m (£18.3m) asking price due to the good relations between the two clubs.

Liverpool, indeed, have signed Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker from the club in recent years.

A major Spurs boost

This could play out perfectly for Spurs.

If Alderweireld’s suitors are looking elsewhere, that raises the prospect of the Belgium international being persuaded to stay.

Of course, his contract expires at the end of next season but suddenly there could be the possibility of the 30-year-old entering into talks over a new deal.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It is no guarantee that he will commit himself to the club but, if he remains after this summer, at the very least there is the opportunity for Spurs to negotiate.

That can only be a good thing for the north London club.

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Liverpool announced on Tuesday evening that Harry Wilson has joined Bournemouth on loan for the 2019/20 campaign.

The Wales international excelled during a loan spell at Derby County last season – scoring 18 times for the Rams in all competitions.

Wilson has been heavily involved in Liverpool’s preparations for the new campaign and scored an excellent long-range effort against Lyon last week.

It was not enough to convince head coach Jurgen Klopp to keep him, though, as a loan move to Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth has now been sanctioned.

Liverpool’s official website pointed out that the Welshman will now have the chance to play regularly in the Premier League after impressing in the Championship.

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However, it would be fair to say that the news has not gone down too well with the Merseyside club’s fans, who have seen another player go through the door.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Phil Hay has provided an update on how Leeds managed to convince Eddie Nketiah to join the Whites on loan during transfer deadline day.

In a Dragons Den style environment, those who wanted to take him on a temporary stay needed to pitch long presentations to Arsenal at their London Colney training base.

Also chasing the striker were Bristol City and Lee Johnson whilst Fortuna Dusseldorf also pitched a presentation.

Yet, it was Leeds and Victor Orta who came out on top.

The revelation sparked different types of reaction from supporters as one took a sly dig at Johnson, suggesting it would have been the shortest presentation.

However other fans lauded their Director of Football Orta, as one said his haters should take note by reading the article. Another simply congratulated him for getting the deal over the line.

Nketiah initially looked as though he may stay with Arsenal for the season but eventually made the move to Elland Road late in the window.

The forward scored on his debut against Salford in the Carabao Cup, tapping home from Helder Costa’s cross.

Here’s some of the reaction on Twitter.

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[ad_pod ]Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s debut for Manchester United.The 21-year-old right-back was making his first competitive appearance for the Red Devils since signing for them in a £50m summer move from Palace, and he didn’t disappoint.

Wan-Bissaka helped his new side to a 4-0 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford, completing a whopping six tackles over the course of the 90 minutes, according to WhoScored, as well as making five clearances and three interceptions – it was a real defensive masterclass.

Given the fact that this will probably have been the first time some Palace fans have watched the England Under-21 star play for a team that isn’t their own – unless they watched United’s pre-season fixtures – his heroics have sparked discussion amongst some supporters of the Eagles on Twitter.

Let’s take a look at what the Palace fans have been saying about Wan-Bissaka on the popular social media platform…

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After lighting up the Emirates against Burnley, Dani Ceballos appeared to have the world at his feet following his season-long loan move from Real Madrid.

The Spain international ran the show against Sean Dyche’s side, and his inclusion from the off against Liverpool at Anfield was understandable.

Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, the game seemed to pass him by and he struggled to impose himself on the Reds’ dominant midfield.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Spaniard was dispossessed four times and managed just 29 passes in the hour that he was on the field.

After seeing Ceballos’ struggles, Arsenal fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns about the midfielder.

Many supporters of the north London side questioned why Emery chose to select him in the starting line-up, and said that he should have known the game may have been “too quick” for him.

Indeed, some fans even suggested Ceballos was out of his depth at Anfield as he endured a really difficult evening against the Reds.

Check out some of the reaction of Arsenal fans below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

In a Q&A discussion on The Athletic, journalist Adam Crafton has revealed some of the major problems Manchester United faced in their disappointing 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

What did he say?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men went into the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a fine strike from summer signing Daniel James. However, the home side rallied in the second-half and netted a deserved equaliser, before hanging on for a point after Kevin Danso’s red card.

Now, Crafton has suggested United’s “mentality” was a big factor in their poor showing, and insisted the Red Devils desperately missed a penalty-box poacher.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “They started sloppily, I think they lost five or six 50/50s in the first five minutes of the game and many simple passes went astray. That is a mentality, rather than a talent, issue.

“This is what surprised me about the Lukaku move. He scores 15 goals a season and he’s a penalty box striker, which is what United missed in those final 15 minutes. Dan James was sensational but he can’t do it all by himself. It’s the part of the game Rashford is missing. Sniffing out those scruffy goals. James’ deliveries were crying out for a poacher.”

Finisher

And so the ‘United are missing Lukaku’ talk has begun. The Belgium international’s departure to Inter earlier this summer certainly raised a lot of eyebrows amidst fears United hadn’t done enough to effectively replace him. Solskjaer’s trust in his youthful options up front is admirable, but it comes with a lot of caveats.

Their lack of experience at the top level, and a lack of consistency of scoring 20 goals or more over a course of number of seasons, mean it is difficult to rely on them week-in and week-out. James had the better of Southampton full-back Cedric all game, supplying two key passes and six crosses. But each and every time his United teammates either fluffed their lines or were simply nowhere to be seen.

Lukaku’s simple finish on his Inter debut against Lecce showed exactly what the Red Devils are missing out on – someone who is prolific at putting the ball in the back of the net by any means necessary. It may be early days, but United could live to regret their decision to sell the Belgian this summer, or at least the decision not to replace him.

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[ad_pod ]After recent poor performances for Manchester United he Paul Pogba debate has reeled its head again (as if it ever went away).The Frenchman is an enigma. There’s no other play in the world quite like Pogba who can look so utterly impressive one week then so poor the next – it’s genuinely remarkable.Indeed, we dare say it’s one of the main reasons Pogba’s still tolerated at the club – the fact that somewhere, deep down, he has it in his locker to be one of the best players in the world. How could anyone forget about the flurry of form after Jose Mourinho was sacked in December (eight goals and five assists in 10 games)?Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

We all know there’s something there, but it’s getting to the point now where people are starting to really question if extracting said talent is really worth the effort. Sir Matt Busby biographer Patrick Barclay and ex-Premier League forward Stan Collymore are the latest to wade in on the debate…

Fairly comprehensive.

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