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Ivan Rakitic is clearly not having the best of times over at the Catalan capital.

The Croatian midfielder went from being Ernesto Valverde’s most-used player of the previous campaign, to just a guy who makes a cameo appearance for Barcelona here and there.

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Just the fact that he 31-year-old has only 255 minutes under his belt in the ongoing campaign tells its own story and for that reason, his latest words don’t really come as a surprise.

Rakitic talked to Movistar+ and stated how he feels sad because of his current situation.

Of course, upon hearing his words, many of the Barcelona fans didn’t really feel sympathy but slammed the Croat, reminding him of his bad performances, especially the one from Anfield in the Champions League, and posted some other harsh comments.

It seems that he is not really one of the fan-favourites at the Camp Nou.

You can see some of their replies down in the collection of tweets below.

Liverpool’s victory over Barcelona in the Champions League last season was the stuff of legend.

The Reds first played the Catalan club at the Camp Nou, and went down 3-0 thanks to a Lionel Messi masterclass. Following that defeat, it looked as though it was the end of the Anfield outfit’s run, but as we all know, the Merseyside team love an impossible comeback – read Istanbul.

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In the return leg at their home stadium, Jurgen Klopp and co put the La Liga champions to the sword, prevailing 4-0. Belgium international Divock Origi scored a brace, as did Georginio Wijnaldum. It was enough to put the six-time European champions into the final, where they beat Tottenham to lift the trophy.

It was a magnificent moment when the final whistle blew against the Blaugrana. So much so, Klopp has been nominated for the UK Coaching’s Great Coaching Moment of the Year award.

Unsurprisingly, the Liverpool supporters are delighted with the recognition for their boss. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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…

As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Daniel James has been compared to PSG sensation Kylian Mbappe, by the manager of Hungary.

What did he say?

James has been a revelation for Manchester United since arriving in a £15m deal from Championship side Swansea in the summer. The 22-year-old has scored three goals and provided a further three assists in his 16 appearances across all competitions, and has firmly established himself as a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-team.

Speaking ahead of their clash against James’ Wales on Tuesday night, Hungary boss Marco Rossi lauded the winger’s abilities, and made a stunning comparison to Mbappe.

He said: “James is a player that is playing with a motor bicycle because he is really fast. I have never seen someone in the last period as fast as him, maybe Mbappe. He’s unbelievable. If we leave him (James) space to run he could be dangerous. This could be the key, but we work a lot on the defensive line and will try to give confidence to our players.”

Development

From playing in the Championship just a few short months ago, to being compared to one of biggest talents in world football, it really has been a remarkable rise for James. The Welshman has come on leaps and bounds in his time at Old Trafford, and has been a consistent performer for the Red Devils in what largely has been a difficult campaign thus far.

As per Whoscored, he has impressive averages of 1.5 shots, 0.9 key passes and one dribble per game, whilst he has arguably been unlucky not to have picked up more assists thanks to some profligate finishing from some of United’s forwards. As the Hungary boss says, his searing pace causes problems for any defence, and Solskjaer has used it to great effect when the side have played on the counter-attack. Rossi’s comments will be music to the Norwegian’s ears, and a great appraisal of the work he has done in developing the £15m man.

Rangers are reportedly weighing up an offer for Nathaniel Clyne, who will be a free agent once this season concludes.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, the Gers have sounded out the possibility of signing Clyne this summer. The Liverpool right-back will not sign a new contract at Anfield, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

The report states that Steven Gerrard is personally eyeing the 28 year-old, who is likely to have to accept a big pay cut from his current £70,000-a-week deal.

Clyne has been pushed out of the Liverpool team due to injuries and the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

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Catastrophe waiting to strike

Rangers certainly have some catching up to do if they are to compete with Celtic next season, having fallen off in decisive fashion after the winter break. That said, for all the stick he gets from fans for his lack of leadership, James Tavernier is certainly not the biggest weak spot in the team – he still has 15 assists even in a down year.

While the report suggests Clyne may be forced to take a pay cut, a Premier League player on £70,000-a-week is still likely to become one of the highest paid players at the club, and that is a monumental risk for a player whose injury record suggests he would not be a big upgrade on Tavernier and could be a total disaster.

Clyne has not played a single minute of action this season and only started one Premier League match for Liverpool last campaign, per Transfermarkt. He has suffered two extremely serious injuries in recent years, missing 44 games for a back issue and now 45 and counting due to a cruciate ligament rupture.

Even when he was fit, there were suggestions he was not up to scratch fitness wise, with Melissa Reddy claiming he could not meet Jurgen Klopp’s demands: “The people who worked with him day in and out at Liverpool knew his physical limitations as well as his tactical and technical limitations to play as a fullback the way Klopp now demands.”

Signing a player who has barely played football since Gerrard arrived at Ibrox would be a monumental risk, particularly when he is likely to demand a large signing bonus and wage packet considering his strong negotiating position as a free agent. With the Gerrard project perhaps entering a make or break year in 2020/21, Rangers would be absolute fools to risk what could be a catastrophic signing if his injury problems persist.

Rangers fans, check out a message from one of your former loan starlets here!

According to Deportes, Real Madrid could offer James Rodriguez to Tottenham in a potential deal to sign Harry Kane.

What’s the word?

Kane’s future with the Lilywhites is in doubt, with the England international recently admitting that he could be open to an exit from Spurs if they don’t match his ambition to win trophies.

And now, Deportes claim that La Liga giants Madrid’s interest in the forward, could lead to Rodriguez being involved as part of a player-plus-cash deal to lure Kane away from north London.

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The report adds that Christian Eriksen’s departure back in January has left a gap in the number ten role for Spurs, and that Rodriguez could be the man to fill that void and help Spurs back to competing for the European places again.

Softening the blow

Make no mistake about it, a summer in which Kane leaves Spurs would be a hammer blow to Jose Mourinho’s side.

But at the moment it does feel like a possibility that could happen, and as such, the north Londoners would do well to draw up some contingency plans.

And accepting a proposal in which they get James Rodriguez plus some money in return, would go a long way to softening the pain of losing their talisman. The Colombian remains a superb technician who can really flourish when given the freedom to orchestrate attacks – as per Whoscored, he has an impressive career average of 2.3 key passes per game.

It says a lot about Spurs’ creative struggles, that even despite leaving in January, Eriksen is joint-third on the list of Spurs players to have averaged the most key passes per match with a measly 1.2. The £36m-rated Rodriguez could solve that issue immediately, and offer a source of imagination from that number ten role.

Strikers are only as good as the service that is given to them. Rodriguez could ensure that even if Kane isn’t there, someone else will actually get opportunities in front of goal to stick them away.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans discuss their club’s interest in this Ligue 1 ace.

Plenty of Newcastle United fans have been reacting to a takeover update from Craig Hope, as The Daily Mail reporter claimed Mike Ashley is happy to sell the club if the consortium led by Amanda Staveley produce the cash.

Despite long-standing scepticism amongst Magpies fans, with many in the Toon Army believing Ashley never has any intention of selling the club, Hope claims the infamous owner is finally ready to cash in.

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According to recent reports, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), fronted by Staveley, are once again interested in a deal and paperwork has been submitted to the Premier League.

However, while Hope’s claims that Ashley is ready to sell should provide some optimism, he also states that no concrete offer has been made yet, and the Premier League will not be interested until a deal is agreed.

Plenty of fans have been reacting to the update from Hope, with many criticising the report and pointing to his previous clash with Steve Bruce. You can check out some of the best Twitter responses down below…

The Toon Army couldn’t contain their excitement after a cryptic takeover hint from the Middle East…

The EFL and Leeds United agree that the season should be played to completion when it is possible to do so, but time is running out and doubts are rising.Phil Hay made an interesting claim earlier today when responding to one fan’s question about whether the Championship season would resume.

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The Athletic journalist believes that Leagues One and Two won’t be finished, and the second flight has a better chance of doing so, but he has ‘real doubts’ over that happening.

He said:

It comes after Rick Parry, the chairman of the EFL, said he hopes the campaign can be completed on all 71 grounds. However, he also revealed a deadline of July 31st, so time is rapidly expiring.

The longer this goes on, the less likely that a ball will be kicked again at Elland Road, you’d imagine. Then it would come down to the wider issue on whether or not Leeds have done enough to warrant a promotion to the Premier League.

Which will be murky waters as the big wigs will ultimately have the final say.

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As Newcastle’s proposed takeover continues to drag on by the day, there appears to be fresh reports coming to light that seem question whether it will happen at all.Aside from the piracy suggestion that has dominated the headlines, The Daily Star have suggested that chiefs from Serie A giants AS Roma have reached out to the Saudi consortium to discuss a possible takeover attempt should their bid to buy Newcastle collapse.The report suggested that with the takeover of the Magpies facing continued delays, the Italian side have made “discreet inquiries” to the Saudis, and that they “want it known that if the Newcastle bid is rejected, they would be interested in holding talks with bin Salman’s representatives again”.But now, journalist Paul Smith has poured cold water over those suggestions on Twitter, delivering some reassuring news to fans of the Tyneside club.

As is always the case when things don’t pan out smoothly, sensationalist stories begin to emerge, and a lot more pessimism begins to creep in.

But Smith’s update goes a long way to putting Newcastle supporters’ minds at ease, and it simply reaffirms the Saudi consortium’s commitment to buying the club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers should cut their losses with Patrick Cutrone after comments made to his followers on Instagram Live were relayed by Fiorentina.it.

As per the outlet (via Sport Witness), Cutrone ‘jumped’ at the chance to leave the Midlands club just a few months after signing for them from Italian giants AC Milan for €18m (roughly £16.2m) in July 2019. The 22-year-old also admitted that, as soon as he heard interest from Fiorentina about signing him in the January transfer window, he ‘immediately said yes’ before going back to Italy on loan.

Judging by these comments, one may conclude that Cutrone’s heart is not entirely set on Wolves ang Nuno Espirito Santo’s team should seriously consider cutting their losses when his loan deal expires.

Indeed, for a striker that cost £16.2m, to be sent out on loan just a few months after joining is not a good sign – Cutrone unfortunately fail to impress during his short spell in the west Midlands.

In 24 appearances in all competitions in this season, the centre-forward scored just three goals and supplied a mere four assists, according to Transfermarkt).

Perhaps playing in Italy better suits Cutrone, judging by his performances in both his home country and in England, and Wolves may be wise to negotiate a permanent transfer to Fiorentina once his current deal expires.

Wolves fans, do you think Cutrone needs more time to prove himself or should the club just offload him as soon as they can? Comment below with your views!

Manchester United are determined to sign Jadon Sancho this summer, via Manchester Evening News.

The Red Devils have been linked with the Borussia Dortmund star for a while now, stemming all the way back to Jose Mourinho’s turbulent time in charge of Old Trafford.

Sancho has reportedly told Dortmund that he wants to leave Germany and return to England, according to ESPN. However, while club legends like Rio Ferdinand and Louis Saha have all backed Ed Woodward to bring him home, there are a number of reasons why Man United shouldn’t sign Sancho in the summer.

Contrary to popular belief, the problems are not at the attacking end of the pitch, but rather lie at the back. United have shockingly conceded five more goals than Premier League newcomers Sheffield United and nine more than league leaders Liverpool.

Victor Lindelof has never looked particularly convincing next to Harry Maguire as the Swede has received a below-par WhoScored rating of 6.67 overall. Meanwhile, Eric Bailly has only played 282 minutes of competitive football this season after recovering from a career-threatening injury.

Furthermore, Nemanja Matic is the only specialist in the defensive midfield role, which is a cause for concern as the ageing veteran is surely entering the twilight of his career.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal, including Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, Odion Ighalo and Mason Greenwood, to name but a few.

Although some fans will argue that United are relatively low in the goalscoring charts, it is worth remembering that Rashford, who is the club’s top scorer this season, scored 14 goals in 22 Premier League games before succumbing to a back injury.

Any good manager will acknowledge that the defence is just as important as the attack and Solskjaer has key areas that he needs to urgently address, namely a new centre-back and defensive midfielder.

United will probably have to pay a club record fee for Sancho if they want to buy him in the upcoming window, as Dortmund are refusing to drop their valuation, which means the board will most likely have to pay more than £100m. Bearing this in mind, Woodward could buy both Wilfred Ndidi and Kalidou Koulibaly for far less instead, which may solve the issues at the back.

Can Ole get the best out of him? it is too early to say at the moment, as Solskjaer’s side are currently fifth in the table, three points away from Champions League qualification.

Moreover, the executive vice-chairman has previously warned that United’s summer spending may be limited due to the financial repercussions of the coronavirus crisis. It may be better to come back for Sancho in a year’s time when the volatile market will (hopefully) have stabilised.

As it stands, the Red Devils are seemingly no further forward and fans will have to wait and see what deals can be made in these unprecedented circumstances.

United fans, do you think the board should sign Jadon Sancho in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!