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Sunderland face Charlton at Wembley on Sunday, and Jack Ross should select a starting XI that has not started once together this season.

Ross has one of the biggest and best squads in League One, but combined with a spree of poorly timed injuries, this has led to never having one settled first choice XI.

The Black Cats usually rely on Lee Cattermole and Grant Leadbitter in midfield while Jon McLaughlin has started a whopping 54 games in goal, but almost every other position is seemingly up for grabs.

Now, with everything on the line, Ross simply must unleash this XI brimming with energy, flair and enthusiasm.

Ozturk’s physicality is needed at the back, with the error-prone Jack Baldwin dropping to the bench, while the energy of Luke O’Nien and Bryan Oviedo will dominate the flanks.

The tried and tested duo in midfield keeps the balance and defensive stability of the side, while the three behind the striker will cause absolute mayhem due to their versatility.

In truth, it doesn’t really matter where each of Morgan, McGeady and Maguire line up, as the creative trio can all interchange and play in any of the three roles behind the striker. George Honeyman is a notable absentee, but he simply doesn’t have the goal threat to warrant a place in an attacking role.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Up front it simply must be Charlie Wyke who gets the nod, Will Grigg has not lived up to expectations and the former’s physicality will occupy defenders and leave space for the three M’s to operate in.

This XI has not started a single fixture together this season, could they make their collective debut on Sunday? Sunderland fans, let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Arsenal fans on Twitter have surprisingly welcomed the news that manager Unai Emery could depart the Emirates this summer.

Despite only arriving in north London one year ago, Emery could already be on his way out with Mundo Deportivo suggesting him as a potential replacement for Ernesto Valverde as Barcelona boss.

The Barcelona newspaper has placed Emery on a shortlist of four prospective managers should the Catalan club decide to part ways with Valverde.

Emery’s first season at Arsenal has yielded mixed results as a dramatic capitulation in the final weeks of the Premier League season saw the Gunners miss out on a top-four finish, although the club still has a chance at redemption with the Europa League final against Chelsea on May 29.

A victory in Baku would see the former PSG manager win Arsenal’s first European trophy since the 1994 Cup Winners’ Cup and qualify for next season’s Champions League, but some Gunners fans on Twitter are still hoping that Barcelona bring Emery to the Nou Camp.

Check out the best of the reaction below…

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West Ham United fans have savaged Andy Carroll after the club posted a tweet showing all of his goals for the club.

The Hammers have confirmed that he will leave upon the expiration of his contract.

It brings to an end a seven-year spell in east London; Carroll originally joined on loan from Liverpool in 2012 prior to the deal being made permanent for a fee of £15million.

His spell was ravaged by injury, however, and he managed to score just 34 goals for the side across a total of 142 appearances.

In the 2018-19 season, indeed, Carroll enjoyed 12 Premier League outings but completed the 90 minutes just once in a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in February.

Ankle surgery meant that he missed the final 10 games of the campaign and he is now searching for a new club.

But fans have hit out at his time at the club, insisting that he did nothing to repay any of the £15m lavished upon him, plus his wages.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have been offered the chance to sign Ousmane Dembele for a fee in the region of £90m, with Barcelona keen to recoup some money having already splashed out on a major transfer already.

The Spanish champions parted with £65m to lure Frenkie de Jong to the Camp Nou, and Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín has said that Antoine Griezmann will go to Barcelona too – a huge move that they will need a lot of money to sanction.

If the French international did turn up at Anfield, it would be an extremely exciting move for a player with all the talent in the world, whilst he would also be in a fast-paced, attacking system where he would thrive.

You can relive Liverpool’s Champions League celebrations in glorious 2D thanks to the guys at 442oons in the video below…

But where would he fit in and how would he compare to the man in his position, Sadio Mane?

Dembele appeared as a left forward 14 times last term as opposed to eight on the right, so it could be assumed that he would also play on the left if he signed for Liverpool, where Mane plays.

As you can see from the above, the former Rennes star appears to be less direct in comparison to the Senegal international, but a far greater creative source.

Dembele takes 1.1 less shots per game than Mane, and makes 0.3 more key passes than the former Southampton man, suggesting that he is more selfless when in possession.

His assist tally further reinforces that fact. The 22-year-old managed to grab five league assists last term in comparison to Mane’s one – there is no reason for the 27-year-old mustering up just a single set-up other than his lack of creativity, given the proficiency of his teammates Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in front of goal.

Dembele also embarks on almost a whole dribble more than Mane per game, suggesting that he likes to get on the ball and take people on with the intention of making things happen, whereas the Liverpool No.10 has become somewhat more of an off-the-ball player who finishes moves off.

If Liverpool did manage to sign the former Borussia Dortmund man, who signed for Barcelona in a £96.8m deal, then they would have two amazing options out on the left flank who offer vastly different qualities.

A true embarrassment of riches.

أكد لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، كاسيميرو، على أهمية تحقيق الفوز في مباراة الغد أمام بوروسيا مونشنجلاباخ في الجولة السادسة والأخيرة من مجموعات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ريال مدريد على ملعبه “ألفريدو دي سيتفانو” غدًا، الأربعاء في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” منافسه الألماني بقيادة الحكم الهولندي الدولي، بيورن كيوبرس.

وتحدث كاسيميرو عن المباراة المنتظرة في المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بها منذ قليل، وقال: “الجميع في ريال مدريد يعتبرونها مباراة نهائية، علينا أن نكون مستعدين وجاهزين لخوضها”.

وأضاف: “ريال مدريد متخصص في مثل هذه المباريات، فهو يخوضها ليس من أجل لعب مباراة ما ولكن ليفوز بها، نحن نتحلى بالروح والإصرار وسنُقدم كل شيء على أرض الملعب”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ريال مدريد يعلن غياب لاعبه عن مواجهة مونشنجلادباخ بسبب الإصابة

وتابع: “لن أتحدث عن استعداداتنا لتلك المباراة، لكن الجميع يعرف ما يقوم به ريال مدريد في مثل تلك المواجهات الحاسمة، ونحن لا نفكر سوى في هذا اللقاء وما يحدث بعده سواء نجاح أو فشل لا يشغلنا حاليًا، لكننا بالطبع نستهدف الفوز ولا غيره أمام بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “نحن نواجه فريقًا كبيرًا يلعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا، بطولة مهمة ولا توجد بها أي مباريات سهلة لذلك علينا التحضير لجميع المواجهات بقوة وعلينا تقديم أداءً أفضل من المباريات السابقة”.

وماذا عن زيدان: “نتحدث عن تاريخ صنعه في هذا النادي، في الموسم الماضي فزنا بلقبين والبعض يتناسى ما فعله بسبب الموسم الصعب الذي نمر به حاليًا مع ضغط المباريات وفترة الإعداد غير الكافية، لسنا آلات وهناك العديد من الفرق التي تعاني مثلنا، وبالتالي، سنحتاج إلى فترات من الراحة”.

ورد كاسيميرو على سؤال “أيهما تفضل المشاركة في الدوري الأوروبي إذا خسروا غدًا أم الخروج من البطولات الأوروبية تمامًا؟” أجاب: “لا أضع هذا الاحتمال أمامي أعرف أنه موجود ولكن إذا لم تتمكن من الاستمرار في دوري أبطال أوروبا، فلن نكون سعداء لكننا نريد أن نلعب في الدوري الأوروبي والفوز به لأن هذا النادي يعيش على الألقاب”.

واستمر: “أنا لست هنا لتقديم الأعذار بسبب الأداء، أو الحديث عن المشاكل لكنني أقول الحقيقة وما مررنا به كفريق قبل الموسم”.

واختتم كاسيميرو تصريحاته عن عودة راموس: “الحديث عن سيرجيو شرف كبير، إنه قائدنا ويتواجد في النادي منذ فترة طويلة وعلينا أن نقدر مثل هؤلاء اللاعبين، لدينا ناتشو وفاران ولكن راموس هو أحد أفضل اللاعبين في التاريخ وسعداء بعودته”.

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Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to slam Roberto Carlos’ reasoning behind why he prefers Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson over Alisson Becker.

The former Real Madrid left-back told the Raw Take podcast: “I like Alisson because he is tall and has good positioning but Ederson can play in any position – goalkeeper, centre-back, midfielder – he has great quality.

“So I am sorry Alisson, but to me Ederson is a bit better because he plays better with his feet.”

You can relive Liverpool’s Champions League celebrations in glorious 2D thanks to the guys at 442oons in the video below…

Some Reds supporters down below have taken exception to these comments as they feel a goalkeeper should be judged on things a keeper is expected to do, not for their ability to play in a position away from the goalmouth.

One fan sarcastically said that Andres Iniesta is a better goalkeeper than Iker Casillas in a humorous retaliation to Carlos’ strange comments, whilst more fans are just outright baffled by the former Brazilian international’s reasoning for his choice.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Alisson completed more passes per game in the Premier League last season in comparison to the former Benfica goalkeeper anyway, recording an average of 28.3 compared to Ederson’s 24.2 – Carlos really doesn’t have much weight behind his argument.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tweets…

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According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham United have identified Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey as a potential transfer target this summer.

However, it would be fair to say that the majority of the Hammers fans are against their club moving for the 27-year-old.

Shelvey only made 18 appearances for Newcastle during the 2018-19 season.

The midfielder will see his contract at St James’ Park expire in little over two years, meanwhile, and according to ExWHUemployee, Shelvey is a target for West Ham.

The six-time England international struggled with injury last term and missed 22 of his team’s 38 Premier League matches.

There is no question that the former Charlton Athletic youngster is a talent. However, his career appears to have stalled over the last 12 months or so.

The West Ham fans have been on social media offering their views on his potential arrival.

And it would be fair to say that not too many want their club to move for the Romford-born midfielder – a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has a lot of squad decisions to make this summer.

Last season may have been an improvement on previous years for the Ibrox side but it still wasn’t good enough for plenty of supporters, once again going trophy-less having gone out of cup competitions early and failing to sustain a credible title challenge.

One of his tasks will be deciding what kind of role his young, emerging stars will play over the course of next season.

Will he invest more time into their development? Should they be sent on loan? Are they good enough to feature heavily?

One such player is winger Glenn Middleton, who has experienced both exposure to first-team action and life on the fringes of the manager’s squad.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

On the chalkboard

From a personal perspective, the 2018/19 season was a breakthrough one for Middleton.

Making his Gers debut, which happened to be his first senior career appearance, the teenager ended up impressing Gerrard enough to get a sustained run in the first-team, allowing him to experience UEFA Europa League group stage football and even thrill fans by scoring away at Spartak Moscow.

The sky seemed to be the limit in terms of potential and where his Gers career might take him next, but after the winter break he was frozen out of first-team action and played mostly for the reserve team.

Despite making 27 appearances in total, there are definite question marks about his future under Gerrard having not started a single match since December.

Is he good enough?

Effectively playing half a season, mostly from the bench, Middleton still pitched in with five goals and five assists, which isn’t a bad return at all for a rookie player.

For the reserves and youth sides he often shone too, with clips regularly appearing online of him doing wonderful things at that level.

There’s definitely still hope for him at Rangers despite the lack of action in 2019, but he needs regular football that will help him learn and make better decisions at a senior level.

Celtic have found success in this regard in recent seasons, allowing Ryan Christie to develop at Aberdeen and figure out how to become the main man in a starting eleven.

Middleton needs that kind of confidence to make the next step at Ibrox. If he can regularly score goals and win games for another club, it will prove to Gerrard he is ready to feature more regularly and can be relied upon.

To make it at Rangers, he might have to leave the club first.

Do Southampton really need another goalkeeper in their squad?

With Angus Gunn playing rather well and keeping Alex McCarthy out of the side (who is also an excellent shot-stopper in his own right), bringing Bartlomiej Dragowski to the St. Mary’s Stadium does not really seem to make a lot of sense – don’t worry, we’re not forgetting about the virtually unsellable Fraser Forster either.

According to Alfredo Pedulla, the Saints have already tabled an offer worth over €10million (£8.8m) to try and acquire the Poland under-21 international from Fiorentina but south coast rivals Bournemouth are also thought to be interested in signing him.

There is no doubt that the youngster has plenty of potential to go far in the game and has already shown glimpses of the quality he has in performances he has produced whilst on loan with Empoli, however, surely Ralph Hasenhuttl has bigger priorities to address this summer.

It would not be unreasonable to suggest that the £8.8m fee they are believed to be prepared to part with for the ‘keeper would be a large chunk of their transfer budget for the summer.

Maybe the Saints believe Dragowski can be the future of the club and they are already looking to secure his signature before anybody else? That would certainly have to be considered some smart business, however, they are not yet in a position to spend a large chunk of money on that idea.

Hasnehuttl must do everything in their power to try and sign players that are going to help make a difference immediately and help pull the team away from the depths of relegation.

With Gunn and McCarthy already on the books and no real suggestion that either of them could be sold this summer, the money would be better off spent elsewhere.

Southampton fans, what do you think the club should do? Would you still sign Dragowski or would you look to improve other areas of the squad first? Let us know your thoughts below!

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Today’s Gunners transfer roundup includes the confirmed loan of a youngster, an update in regards to the future of a 23-year-old midfielder and interest in a Real Madrid ace.

Osei-Tutu joins Bochum

Arsenal have confirmed that Jordi Osei-Tutu will leave the club on loan for the duration on the next season. The 20-year-old full-back will join Bundesliga.2 side VfL Bochum.

Torreira update

The Telegraph is reporting that Lucas Torreira is happy at Arsenal and is not looking for a move away this summer. Reports had hinted that Torreira wanted to return to Serie A, with AC Milan very interested, but sources close to the 23-year-old Uruguayan have rubbished those claims.

Arsenal after Ceballos

According to AS, Arsenal are prepared the €50m (£44.8m) fee required to bring in Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos. Bitter north London rivals Tottenham have also been linked with the 22-year-old, who has represented Spain on six occasions.