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According to Sky Sports, Manchester City have decided not to pursue a new left-back this summer and will be sticking with Benjamin Mendy, following Pep Guardiola’s comments earlier in the season suggesting that he may look to reinforce the position.

What’s the word then?

Well, Mendy arrived at the Etihad Stadium as one of the hottest players in his position in world football, signing in a £52m deal from Monaco back in 2017.

However, since then, the World Cup winning Frenchman has managed to make just 14 Premier League starts for the Citizens after suffering two serious knee injuries – he ruptured his cruciate ligament in his debut campaign, and then suffered meniscus problems in the other knee earlier this term.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

Despite that, the 24-year-old has still looked a cut above whenever he has made it out onto the field, where his tendency to overlap and whip devilish balls into the box has caused all sorts of problems for opposition defences.

He should be moved on

Having said the above, Manchester City are wrong to back their £52m asset.

Mendy has caused Guardiola all sorts of problems since arriving in the Premier League, ranging from him being extremely late for important physio sessions, to him allegedly travelling to Hong Kong despite telling Guardiola that he was going to Barcelona.

He has also been pictured out partying in the early hours of the morning, a situation which prompted the line “I’m not his father” from Guardiola when asked about it.

If City were visibly struggling without one of Europe’s best left-backs, then yeah, definitely keep him around.

However, they are not. Barring any slip-ups, they look set to defend their Premier League title and are on course for a domestic treble, with the ever dependable Oleksandr Zinchenko impressing at left-back in this campaign and the last.

Whilst his stock is still relatively high, City shouldn’t be giving their backing to a man they cannot rely on.

وجه الدكتور أشرف صبحي وزير الشباب والرياضة الشكر للاعب منتخب مصر والنادي الأهلي، مؤمن زكريا، على حرصه للمشاركة فى انتخابات مجلس النواب التى تجرى على مدار يومين، مشيرا إلى أن مؤمن نموذج إيجابي للشباب ويحتذى به.

وأعرب صبحي عن خالص أمنياته بشفاء نجم مصر والنادي الاهلي وعودته للملاعب مره اخرى، مؤكدا على استمرار الوزارة في تقديم كافة أنواع الدعم للاعب.

وفي المقابل وجه مؤمن زكريا الشكر لوزير الرياضة، على اهتمامه ودعمه المتواصل، لافتا الى أن التصويت فى الانتخابات واجب على الجميع تجاه بلده، مطالبا الشباب بضرورة النزول والمشاركة فى الانتخابات.

وأدلى زكريا بصوته فى لجنة مدرسة ابن سينا بمصر الجديدة وذلك فى أول ساعات الاقتراع وسط استقبال حافل من الناخبين والمتواجدين حول اللجنة والذين حرصوا على التقاط صور تذكارية معه، متوجها بالشكر لكل من ساعده فى أزمته.

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Southampton have a fantastic opportunity to conclude their season in style with a visit from bottom-placed Huddersfield on Sunday, although, as Manchester United found out when they were hosted by the Terriers last week, there are never any easy games.

The Saints were brought back down to earth after a solid run of results as they were thumped 3-0 by West Ham last time out – one of their heaviest defeats of 2019 – but they will be counting on getting three points in front of a home crowd this weekend.

With survival already secured, the game means little to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side and most at St Mary’s Stadium will likely be looking ahead to the transfer window, which will give the Austrian boss a chance to revamp his squad ahead of his first full season at the helm.

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson is clearly intrigued as to how the former RB Leipzig boss is going to tweak his side, as he offered his predictions ahead of the final round of Premier League fixtures:

“Huddersfield are another team saying goodbye to the top flight, and although the Terriers got a good result against Manchester United last weekend, I don’t see then signing off on a high note.

“Southampton can look forward to next season under manager Ralph Hasenhuttl with lots of optimism, and it will be interesting to see who he signs in the summer.”

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The former Liverpool midfielder forecasts a 2-0 win for Saints this weekend and an ‘interesting’ summer transfer window. With the likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi, Shane Long and Charlie Austin – none of whose future’s are certain – on the books, Southampton fans could see a number of familiar faces leave in the coming months and a number of unfamiliar ones through the door.

With the Austrian having already instilled a brilliant team spirit at St Mary’s, Hasenhuttl’s first few additions as Southampton boss could take the team to the next level. If he gets the right players through the door, this season’s relegation battle will be soon forgotten.

تحدث هيثم فاروق لاعب الزمالك الأسبق، والمحلل الفني الحالي عن مواجهة الأبيض أمام الرجاء المغربي مساء اليوم.

ويستضيف ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في إياب نصف نهائي بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وقال هيثم في تصريحات تلفزيونية لفضائية “بي إن سبورتس”: “الرجاء فريق كبير وعريق، وأحب أن أشيد بقرار الزمالك وعدم اعتراضه على التأجيل أو عدم الممانعة رغم أن القرار النهائي في يد الكاف”.

طالع أيضًا | تشكيل الرجاء أمام الزمالك في إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأضاف: “الإنسانيات باتت ضعيفة في العصر الذي نعيشه، والزمالك أعطى درسًا وهو التعاطف مع الأشقاء المغاربة ونرحب بهم في القاهرة”.

وأردف: “يوسف أوباما أداءه كان جيدًا ولكن ضغط المباريات تسبب في حدوث إصابات بالفريق، وأرى أن باتشيكو يستطيع التغلب على هذه النقطة من خلال الدفع بفرجاني ساسي للعب في الأمام”.

وتابع: “لا شك في إن يوسف أوباما لاعب مهم وساهم مع الزمالك في تحقيق البطولات، ولكن الأبيض لا يقف على أي لاعب”.

واختتم: “رأينا جميعًا فرق تخسر بطولات كثيرة بسبب مركز حراسة المرمى، ولكننا في الزمالك أًصبحنا نملك 3 حراس على مستوى عالٍ جدًا، محمد أبو جبل كان رقم 3 ولكنه حصل على فرصة وأصبح أساسيًا ولم يصبح الأفضل في مصر فقط بل من بين الأفضل في إفريقيا”.

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Southampton’s stellar run of form continued with a 3-1 win over a lacklustre Wolves at the weekend, with goals from Nathan Redmond (2) and Shane Long enough to ensure that all three points remained at St Mary’s Stadium.

Long’s sudden return to form was hardly the biggest talking point of the day, though, with Redmond finally able to apply the lethal finishing touch(es) that his high-energy performances have been missing in 2019.

Make no mistake, the former Norwich man has been fantastic under Ralph Hasenhuttl, as have many of his teammates, but he has struggled to strike consistency in front of goal, with just three league goals to his name in 32 appearances prior to Saturday.

It seems like the winger has had ‘potential’ for a while now and, at 25-years-old, should be reaching his peak in the next couple of seasons, although he will have to register far more performances of the calibre he produced against Wolves if he is to do that.

A brace was enough to earn the speedster a spot in Garth Crooks’ team of the week and the BBC pundit praised his performance while simultaneously expressing his frustration at Redmond’s major shortcoming.

“This lad scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season in the victory again Wolves – another team suffering from an FA Cup semi-final hangover – but it should have been his 17th and 18th.

“Redmond has all the right pieces of the jigsaw but sadly not all in the right places. Ability, pace and vision are essential components of any forward but if Redmond could add finishing with any kind of regularity to his repertoire then he’d be at a top four club.”

Indeed, the number 22 gets into all the right places and does all the hard work creating the chance for himself or others but cannot find the end product often enough.

However, his display last Saturday showed how lethal he can be when he’s got his shooting boots on – if he can bring them more often then he’d become a real threat for the Saints and perhaps even land himself on the radar of some of England’s top clubs, as Crooks says.

Presently, Redmond finds himself trying to make the same improvements to his game which Raheem Sterling has had to on his way to becoming one of the first names on the team sheet at Manchester City.

The England international, who also netted twice at the weekend, had all three of the attributes which Crooks applied to Redmond – ability, pace and vision – but couldn’t get the goals his hard work deserved. Now though, the wide man is one of the best in Europe in his position and is in with a shout for the PFA Player of the Year gong.

Sterling is an expert at getting into the right places, creating that extra yard of space between he and his man before receiving the ball and then he’s either gone in a flash or it’s in the back of the net.

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

The intelligent number 7 is reaping the rewards of Pep Guardiola’s system, which plays to his positional strengths, in a similar way that Redmond is flourishing under Hasenhuttl’s high-tempo approach.

Instructed to hunt down defenders relentlessly, the 5 ft 8 Southampton ace’s speed and tenacity will inevitably get him into more goal-scoring positions so, if he is to become the player that Crooks thinks he can, he must start taking them with the frequency Sterling does.

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Liverpool made incredibly light work of their Champions League quarter-final tie with FC Porto, winning Wednesday night’s away leg by a 4-1 scoreline, but that hasn’t stopped Reds supporters from ripping into Divock Origi on social media.

It clearly wasn’t a great evening for the 6 foot 1 attacker, who was tasked with filling the almighty void of Roberto Firmino – one of the most important players in Jurgen Klopp’s system.

In fact, his attempt to do so only lasted until half-time, when the Brazilian was introduced from the bench at Origi’s expense following a somewhat underwhelming first 45 minutes from the Premier League title hopefuls despite being three goals ahead on aggregate.

As one Liverpool supporter on Twitter pointed out, there was a seismic difference between Liverpool’s performance when Origi was and wasn’t on the pitch, which perhaps explains why there has been such a backlash on social media against the 23-year-old.

Take a look below at what Liverpool fans are saying about Origi’s latest display…

After another disappointing defeat on Saturday afternoon, it would not be a surprise to see Tottenham Hotspur enter the transfer market this summer and make improvements to their squad.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are known for not having made any additions to their team over the past two windows, however, if they are to compete with the best, they are going to need to spend in the coming months.

And, according to a report by Portuguese publication Record (via HITC Sport), Diogo Queiros is thought to be on their radar as the defence is believed to be an area of the field that needs reinforcing.

However, what would the potential consequences be if Spurs did sign the Porto enforcer? Let’s take a closer look at some of them below.

Levy secures Alderweireld replacement

Toby Alderweireld’s future at Tottenham is far from clear, with the Belgium international defender recently admitting just as much as well. The enforcer had a release clause of £25million activated in his contract recently when it was extended, which is likely going to interest plenty of potential suitors.

However, Queiros could be the perfect candidate to replace the defender if Daniel Levy was able to acquire him this summer.

The 20-year-old is strong in the air and a good dribbler who is extremely composed with the ball at his feet. The young Portuguese is also adept at tackling and has the strength and physic to make life difficult for attackers to try and get past him.

No room for Foyth

Juan Foyth may appear to have a bright future at the club, however, if Queiros was to arrive at the New White Hart Lane Stadium this summer, it might be difficult for him to get more game-time.

The Argentine, who will now miss the final game of the season because of the red card he picked up against Bournemouth almost immediately after coming onto the pitch on Saturday, would struggle to replace Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez in the side as a centre-back.

He might get a chance as a right-back in the future, however, we here at the Transfer Tavern do not think that is Pochettino’s best move going forward.

Tottenham fans, what do you think the potential consequences would be if Spurs were to sign Queiros this summer? Join in with the discussion below by sharing your thoughts with us.

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Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to an update from Ryan Christie, who released a picture of his injury on social media.

Celtic stayed well on track for the historic treble treble at the weekend, cruising past Aberdeen 3-0 in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

They were given a helping hand by Derek McInnes side though, whose poor discipline meant they ended the match with nine men.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The first red card in particular was ludicrous, as Dominic Ball, who had already been booked, flew full speed into Christie, completely missing the ball and instead head-butting the Bhoys youngster square in the face.

Ball was of course shown another card, and from that moment on the result was never in doubt as James Forrest, Odsonne Edouard and Tom Rogic scored the three goals to take the Hoops to the final.

Christie has now released a picture on social media displaying the damage, and we won’t lie to you Ryan – it’s not a good look.

Loads of fans have been reacting to the 24 year-old’s update, which you can view here, while the club have also issued a statement on his condition.

We’ve collected some of the best Twitter reactions for you down below…

If any Sheffield Wednesday supporter was allowing themselves to dream of an unlikely top-six finish, the club’s results so far in April must have served as somewhat of a wake-up call.

Steve Bruce’s side’s 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa was countered by a comfortable 3-0 home victory against Nottingham Forest which set up a huge clash with Leeds United. A win for the Owls would have seen them move within three points of the play-off positions whilst also illustrating just how far they have come since the arrival of their 58-year-old boss in January.

However, Wednesday instead were outclassed for the majority of the game at Elland Road as their opponents dominated possession and launched a barrage of attacks on Keiren Westwood’s goal.

The Republic of Ireland international had to make a number of incredible saves to keep out the hosts but was eventually beaten by Jack Harrison who caressed a side-foot finish into the bottom corner after receiving the ball from Pablo Hernandez. Although Gary Hooper and Barry Bannan both went close for the Owls, it was overwhelmingly clear that Leeds were by far the better side on the day as they illustrated just why they are challenging for automatic promotion.

With four games left to play, Wednesday are in need of a miracle if they are to sneak into the top-six in May and extend their campaign beyond the 46 game mark. However, an unlikely return to the Premier League via a trip to Wembley would arguably come far too early for a side who are still adapting to their new manager’s way of playing.

Therefore, missing out on the play-offs this season could be beneficial in the coming years for the Yorkshire-based outfit as it would give Bruce time to bring in his own players and build a squad that is more than capable of competing at a higher level in the future.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Is the play-off dream over for this season? Would a full season under Bruce benefit your chances of making a long-awaited return to the Premier League? Get in touch below.

حقق منتخب الكونغو فوزًا مهمًا في مشواره بالتصفيات المؤهلة لنهائيات كأس أمم إفريقيا 2021، بالتغلب على منافسه إسواتيني بنتيجة هدفين دون رد.

وحل منتخب إسواتيني ضيفًا على الكونغو في المباراة التي أقيمت في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثالثة للمجموعة التاسعة التي يتصدر ترتيبها السنغال برصيد 9 نقاط.

أقرأ ايضًا.. فيديو | غانا تفوز على السودان بثنائية وتتصدر مجموعتها في تصفيات أمم إفريقيا

وافتتح برانس إيبارا لاعب الكونغو التسجيل بإحراز الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 77، وبعد 4 دقائق نجح زميله جونيور ماكيسي في هز شباك إسواتيني مرة أخرى.

ورفع منتخب الكونغو رصيد لـ6 نقاط يحل بها في المركز الثاني خلفًا للسنغال ومتفوقًا بـ3 نقاط على غينيا بيساو، في حين يتذيل منتخب إسواتيني الترتيب بدون رصيد.