Burnley were hardly the most active team in the January transfer window, but one big transfer story did take place at Turf Moor on deadline day.

That was the signing of England legend Peter Crouch, who moved the other way in a deal which saw Sam Vokes sign for Stoke City in what was seen as one of the most bizarre transfers in the whole window.

However, we here in the Tavern feel like Sean Dyche might well have pulled off something of a masterstroke, and the addition of Crouch might well be something which is a massive benefit to the Clarets in the long-term.

Crouch, now 38, is hardly going to set the world alight during his time in Lancashire, but over a number of years, the former England man could well be a massive bonus for the club in terms of his coaching and experience, not to mention the overall feel-good factor which seems to follow Crouch around wherever he goes.

The big striker will get minutes under Dyche as Burnley scrap to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight, and his height, experience, and nouse in and around the 18 yard box might well prove crucial.

Something had to change for Burnley, and while many won’t have seen Crouch as the change what was necessarily needed, it might well turn out to be a genius move by Dyche.

Burnley fans, would you agree, or is Crouch a pointless addition? Let us know your thoughts!

كشف زكريا السيد رئيس نادي إنبي، موقف محمود الخطيب رئيس النادي الأهلي من استمرار محمد شريف مع الفريق البترولي، وحقيقة طلب التعاقد مع صالح جمعه صانع ألعاب الأحمر.

وقال السيد في تصريحات إذاعية عبر أثير راديو مصر: “تحدثت مع الخطيب بشأن استمرار محمد شريف وأبلغني بموافقته المبدائية علي بقاء اللاعب، وذلك في حالة عدم عودته للأهلي”.

وأكمل: “الخطيب أبلغني أن رينيه فايلر المدير الفني للأهلي هو من سيحسم أمر اللاعب”.

وعن حقيقة رغبة إنبي في ضم صالح جمعة صانع ألعاب الأهلي، قال: “لم نتواصل مع الأهلي بشأن ضم صالح جمعة”.

وعن تحديد قيمة أسامة جلال مدافع الفريق، قال: “لم يصل لنا عرض رسمي لضمه، وفي هذه الحالة سوف نحدد قيمة اللاعب، فهو يمتلك مهارات جيدة وسيكون له مستقبل في الاحتراف”.

وبسؤاله عن شراء أحمد علي، مهاجم بيراميدز، قال: “لم نتطرق لضم أو رحيل لاعب في الفترة الحالية، فقط نركز في المباريات وننتظر استقرار الأمور، وبعدها سندرس العديد من الملفات التي تخص الموسم الجديد”.

وعن رحيل حلمي طولان المدير الفني للفريق، قال: “لا صحة لرحيله عن الفريق، لقد جدد معنا لمدة موسمين بدءا من الموسم الحالي، ونحن نرغب في استمراره”.

أكد أحمد الشيخ جناح الأهلي، أن تأجيل مباريات نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا جاء في مصلحة الفريق، حتى يستعيد اللاعبون المُصابون وراحة الآخرين من ضغط المباريات.

من المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي مع الوداد البيضاوي في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، حيث ستقام مباراة الذهاب في المغرب يوم 18 أكتوبر المقبل، فيما ستقام مباراة العودة في مصر يوم 24 من الشهر نفسه، وذلك بعدما كان مقررًا لهما خلال شهر سبتمبر الجاري.

اقرأ ايضًا.. لاعب الأهلي يرفض التجديد وينتظر عرضًا إماراتيًا للرحيل

وأضاف الشيخ خلال استضافته بقناة “الأهلي”: “التأجيل جاء في صالحنا، وفرصة لعودة اللاعبين المصابين والراحة من ضغط المباريات، وإن شاء الله نستعد بشكل جيد لمباراة الوداد دون أن نضع ضغوطًا على أنفسنا، هدفنا هو الوصول للنهائي وتحقيق لقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا وأتعهد أمام الجماهير بتحقيق ذلك”.

وتابع: “طموحاتي في الفترة المقبلة بالتأكيد بطولة إفريقيا، ليس أنا فقط بل كل اللاعبين لأن هذا الجيل ينقصه الحصول على هذه البطولة، لم يسبق لأي لاعب حاليا أن حصل على هذه البطولة سوى واحد أو اثنين”.

وواصل: “أتمنى الاحتراف وكل لاعب يتمنى ذلك، أحب الدوري الإسباني وأشجع ميسي أينما كان”.

وعن السويسري رينيه فايلر، المدير الفني للأهلي، قال:” فايلر مدرب جيد ويجيد التعامل النفسي مع اللاعبين ويتحدث مع الجميع سواء يشارك أو لا”.

واستكمل: “هذا بالتأكيد يفرق مع نفسية اللاعب، وكان ينصحني دائمًا بألا ألتفت لأي شيء يقال من انتقادات”.

واختتم: “فايلر ذو خبره في عالم السوشيال ميديا والإعلام وحصل على دراسات في هذا المجال، ودائمًا ينصحني بالتركيز في العمل وعدم الالتفات لأي شئ آخر”.

يذكر، أن الأهلي توج بلقب الدوري المصري رسميًا للمرة 42 في تاريخه.

[ad_pod ]

Rangers smashed Kilmarnock in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup on Wednesday night, and fans are heaping praise on January signing Glen Kamara.

Steven Gerrard’s side struggled in the draw at Kilmarnock, but they showed no such nerves in the replay on Wednesday night.

The Gers welcomed their guests to Ibrox with an almost instant opener, as Alfredo Morelos sent Ibrox wild with his first of the evening after just seven minutes.

The feisty Colombian then added a second on the brink of half time thanks to some nice link-up play with Daniel Candeias, after Kilmarnock goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann was controversially sent off.

Things then went from bad to worse for the visitors from then, as Morelos bagged two more in the second half and substitute Andy Halliday rounded out the 5-0 win.

There were plenty of impressive individual performances, most notably Morelos, but fans are delighted with the form of Kamara as well.

The 23 year-old bossed the match, constantly getting his head up and finding positive, incisive passes.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

BBC Sport pundit and legendary former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson foresees a major setback in the title race for Liverpool this weekend.

The Reds take on bitter rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday looking to maintain their advantage at the top of the Premier League table. Lawrenson, though, thinks disappointment is on the cards for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

What he said

In his regular BBC Sport predictions column, Lawrenson predicted a 1-1 outcome in Sunday’s Merseyside derby.

With Liverpool having won in the reverse of this fixture at Anfield earlier in the season, he said: “I wonder if things might even themselves out a bit here, which is why I am going for a draw – I just have a sense that things might not go to plan for Jurgen Klopp’s side…It is a difficult game for Liverpool anyway because they are top of the league, going away to their local rivals, and they have got absolutely everything to lose.”

Who have been the biggest title race bottlers? Liverpool? Spurs? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

If Manchester City, as expected, beat Bournemouth on Saturday, and Liverpool then fail to win against the Toffees, then the Reds will lose top spot and fall behind the reigning champions in the title race. If Lawrenson’s prediction comes true, then it could clearly have disastrous consequences for his former club’s campaign.

History vs pressure

Liverpool should still go into Sunday’s match full of confidence though. They are the favourites and were scintillating against Watford last time out. What’s more, Everton’s form has been inconsistent at best recently and they haven’t beaten Liverpool since 2010. 

History is very much on Liverpool’s side, but Klopp will know that the pressure is on.

Having impressed at Hertha Berlin this season during his loan spell from Liverpool, midfielder Marko Grujic could now be set to stay at the Olympiastadion on a permanent basis. 

Following the Bundesliga outfit’s 1-0 loss to VfL Wolfsburg over the weekend, sporting director Michael Preetz has since come out and hinted that his club will look to sign the 22-year-old.

The Breakdown

“First and foremost, we’re happy that we have Marko. I’d always prefer that a player helps me out for a year than not at all,” Preetz told Kicker (via Bulinews). “We’ll certainly talk to Liverpool about the next season.”

Be it at Hertha or elsewhere, Grujic should definitely pursue a permanent move away from Anfield.

At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp already has the likes of Naby Keita, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum to call upon, making winning a first-team spot an extremely difficult task for Grujic.

And with the ability he possesses, the Serbia international is too good of a player to be farmed out season after season.

A tall defensive midfielder previously compared to compatriot Nemanja Matic, Grujic combines power with skill, being able to win back possession as well as start off attacks with his passing ability.

If Klopp cannot find room for him, there should be plenty of other managers in the Premier League or elsewhere, like Hertha, who can.

[ad_pod ]

Crystal Palace currently sit in 14th place in the Premier League table, four points clear of the relegation zone. 

The Eagles have played some scintillating football, and have enjoyed some very impressive performances against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City this season. They also have some real talent in their squad, in the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Max Meyer and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Despite this, though, the Selhurst Park club are still only a poor run of form away from serious relegation trouble.

Football FanCast’s Will Jones and James Beavis have debated whether or not Roy Hodgson is actually doing a good job at Crystal Palace.

Jones: For

Palace have been unlucky this season. Were it not for an individual goalkeeping error, they would have claimed a famous result at Anfield. Had the likes of Andros Townsend and Christian Benteke not spurned a host of gilt-edged chances this season, Palace would certainly be in a far better situation.

Hodgson cannot be held accountable for such individual errors. However, he does deserve praise for constructing a side that creates so many chances and plays with such verve and attacking endeavour.

Of course, things could be better, and at times the former England boss’ team selection are questionable, but his overall impact at Selhurst Park has been positive. 

He took over with the club in trouble following the Frank de Boer debacle and quickly righted the ship. Since then, Palace have never been in dire straits and in Wan-Bissaka he’s brought through one of the club’s most exciting academy products in many years. For all that, Hodgson deserves credit.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Beavis: Against

When you take a look at Crystal Palace’s squad and see some of the performances they have put it in at times this season – see Manchester City and Liverpool away – you have to wonder why they are only four points above the Premier League relegation zone rather than up there challenging with the likes of Wolves.

Hodgson surely needs to take the blame for that and the failure to often get positive results against the teams around them, and their disappointing form at Selhurst Park – even if they did beat Fulham last weekend.

Often choosing to rarely use talented players like Meyer doesn’t help, and while the Eagles may not have had a plethora of striker options in the first-half of the campaign the likes of Townsend, Zaha and Jordan Ayew should have been able to get more goals than they have if Palace were set up in the right way to begin with.

With Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Patrick van Aanholt often restricted despite the presence of Cheikhou Kouyate and Luka Milivojevic in the starting XI, the former England boss is clearly holding his team back and has a lot to answer for.

Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin is set to miss the rest of the season following an anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up in a recent 2-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea at the Emirates.

As a result, the north London club could now move for a new right-back with Napoli’s Kevin Malcuit said to be a possible option.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign £11.25m-rated (Transfermarkt) Malcuit, despite the 27-year-old only joining Napoli last summer, in a deal that probably would have made sense even before Bellerin’s serious injury.

The Gunners brought in Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer last June to provide cover at right-back, but the former Juventus man has looked absolutely atrocious at times. And at 35 years of age, he was never going to be a long-term option.

Meanwhile, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has rarely let Arsenal down when forced to fill in at right-back or right wing-back to his credit, probably sees his future in central midfield.

Does that mean Malcuit, specifically, is the solution? Only time will tell if he actually does end up making the move from the San Paolo to the Emirates.

One thing that is for sure, though, based on Lichtsteiner’s performances this season, Arsenal could definitely do with a new right-back.

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United have been handed a huge boost ahead of their promotion showdown with West Brom on Friday night, as Ahmed Hegazi is a major doubt for the Baggies.

Leeds welcome West Brom to Elland Road on Friday night in what is sure to be one of the fixtures of the season.

The Whites were crushed 4-1 by a counter-attacking master-class when they visited the Hawthorns in October, as Darren Moore outwitted Marcelo Bielsa.

The Baggies boss will now have to try and replicate that feat without one of his best players on Friday though, as both Hegazi and January signing Jacob Murphy could miss the clash.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

So what’s the word?

“It didn’t look good for him so we had to make an immediate change,” Moore said of the decision to substitute Hegazi during the defeat to Sheffield United.

“We’ll wait and see in the next 48 hours what’s happened with him. He looked in a lot of discomfort.”

According to Birmingham Live, the Egyptian international is a “major doubt” for the clash, while 24 year-old Murphy could also miss out.

The Newcastle loanee has scored twice in five Championship appearances, but the aforementioned report says he has a “strain” due to playing too many games.

Boost for Bamford

Hegazi in particular would be a huge miss for the Baggies, and Patrick Bamford will be the main beneficiary if the Egyptian international does miss out.

Bamford has scored twice since returning from injury – a penalty against Bolton and a vintage Bamford header against Norwich.

The 25 year-old has only played ten times in the Championship this season due to injury, but he is elite in the air when fully fit and firing.

Without the 6 ft 4 in Hegazi at the back, Bielsa may opt to be slightly more pragmatic than usual and lump some crosses into the visitors’ box come Friday night.

The boss won’t like straying from his typical game plan, but Bamford could have an absolute field day if he plays his cards right.

[ad_pod ]

West Bromwich Albion are set to travel to Stoke City this weekend after suffering back-to-back defeats against Middlesbrough and Brighton.

What’s the word?

The Baggies are firmly in the race for promotion this season under Darren Moore. They currently sit just seven points adrift of top spot with a game in hand ahead of their trip to the Bet365 Stadium.

Ahead of the fixture, EFL pundit David Prutton has delivered his pre-match prediction and tipped the Baggies to bounce back from their recent defeats with a vital victory, as per Sky Sports.

‘West Brom suffered a bit of a blow against Middlesbrough last week and again in the FA Cup on Wednesday, but Darren Moore is an upbeat boss and his side generally responds pretty well to setbacks.

‘I fancy them to go up to the Potteries and sneak all three points.’

A win away at Stoke would hand them the morale-boosting three points they need to heap pressure onto the Championship pace setters, and his assessment of Moore is telling about their promotion credentials.

Moore’s positive attitude holds key to West Brom’s promotion campaign

With so many clubs vying for just two automatic promotion places it looks like the race could go right down to the wire.

There is very little to separate the teams who have their eyes set on the top-flight right now, but a lack of mettle and bouncebackability could see a handful of clubs falter as the pressure begins to intensify.

As Prutton has alluded to, though, West Brom are a side who seldom allow a setback to tarnish their progress, and the fact they have lost back-to-back league games on just one occasion this season speaks volumes about their consistency.

Moore should be held responsible for that impressive record, as the manager is largely responsible for boosting morale within the dressing room and finding solutions to ensure one defeat does not signal the beginning of a rot.

Barring the defeat against Boro last weekend, Moore has guided his side to four victories in the six games which followed their league defeats this season, so the form guide reads well for the supporters ahead of the Stoke clash.