Craig Burley urges Christian Pulisic to reconsider his Chelsea position

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has said that Christian Pulisic may have to reconsider his Chelsea future next summer, should his position not improve under manager Frank Lampard. The United States international was signed by the Blues from Borussia Dortmund in January but he only joined them during the summer after spending the second half of the previous season on loan with the Bundesliga outfit.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CONTINUES WITH THE THRILLS

The Champions League maintained the same tempo on Wednesday as more actions happened. Jurgen Klopp admitted that the game against Red Bull Salzburg taught them an important lesson.

The Reds were 3-0 up after Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Mohammed Salah scored. Hee-chan Hwang ulled one back to make it 3-1 before the break. Two quick goals thereafter made it 3-3 courtesy of Takumi Minamino and Erling Braut Haaland. Salah had to make it a brace to ensure Liverpool won at home, after losing to Napoli in the opening round of games.

James Maddison cites his ambition to play at the highest level

Leicester City attacker James Maddison has said that he has the ambition of playing at the highest level. The 22-year-old has been one of the standout performers for the Foxes over the past 14 months and that has earned him a call-up to the England national side for the European qualifiers this month.

Speaking to The Mirror, Maddison spoke about the progress made from the youth setup and stated that he would prefer to play at the highest level based on his ability, he told: "I want to play at the highest level my ability will allow me to. I like to think I've my head screwed on with the transfers I've made. I've played League One, in Scotland, the Championship and the Premier League. I worked my way up."

Nemanja Matic doubts Manchester United’s title prospects next season

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has indicated that the Red Devils don’t stand much of a chance of competing for the Premier League title next term, considering the lack of experience within the forward ranks. The likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have impressed with their frontline duties in the past few seasons but Matic does not believe they are prepared to take up the challenge of winning the English crown.

He said: “Quality and experience brings you the title. In this squad we have quality and no experience.We have five or six top players, but they are still young like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. They have shown their quality on the pitch but they are too young to lead the team of course. Football always wants results but the fans need to be patient so they can improve. In the future I am sure these players will take United back where they belong.”

Arsenal are desperately looking to sell Mustafi this summer, says Reports

BBC Sport reporter David Ornstein has revealed that Arsenal are looking at the prospect of selling Shkodran Mustafi this summer owing to the inconsistent performances over the past few seasons. The centre-back was one of the most lauded Gunners signings when he joined them from Valencia three years ago but he has struggled to produce a string of top-notch displays.

In a report on BBC Sport, Ornstein has revealed that Mustafi has been on sale in every transfer window since joining the Gunners, though the club have not been able to find the right suitor. He added that the defender has lost the confidence of manager Unai Emery after making several high-profile errors in the recently-concluded campaign.

Manchester United agree contract extension with Spanish midfielder

Manchester United are understood to have eventually reached an agreement over a contract extension with midfielder Juan Mata. The Spain international has been in a contract standoff with the Red Devils over the past year but it appears that he has eventually agreed a renewal after being handed with a multi-year deal.

According to The Guardian, the former Chelsea man had been the subject of interest from the likes of Barcelona and Valencia in recent weeks but United have managed to find a breakthrough in terms of a new contract. The same publication claims that the midfielder won’t receive any raise on his current £140,000-a-week wages,

David Luiz speaks on his relationship with manager Maurizio Sarri

Chelsea defender David Luiz has indicated that it took a couple of training session to convince Maurizio Sarri that he had a future with the club. The Brazilian had a difficult 2017/18 campaign where he was regularly on the sidelines through injury and that saw him restricted to just 10 league appearances over the course of the season.

Speaking to The Mail, Luiz acknowledged that he was not in the good books of Maurizio Sarri shortly after the Italian was appointed as the new head coach last summer. However, he added that he was able to convince the 60-year-old over his abilities after going through a few training sessions under his tutelage.

Jermaine Jenas doubtful over Maurizio Sarri’s future at Chelsea

BT Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas has said that Maurizio Sarri’s future at Chelsea remains doubtful regardless of the Italian’s efforts during the ongoing campaign. The 60-year-old helped the Blues reach their objective of Champions League for next season but there are nonetheless concerns with a section of the fans critical regarding the style of play.

Speaking on BT Sport, Jenas applaud the efforts of Sarri through the season despite the ups and downs at the west London side. He added that the Italian’s position remains far from secure ahead of the summer, given he does not share a fond relationship with the club’s faithful, he said: “The problem at Chelsea is a huge turnaround with [Maurizio] Sarri coming in, but they have finished third. On the points and where they have finished, it is great, but there is a breakdown between the manager and the fans and that started earlier on in the year, and it is one of those things with Chelsea where you always fear it is not going to end well.”

Jurgen Klopp confirms availability of Joe Gomez after extended foot injury

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Joe Gomez has returned to contention for the first-team squad after making a complete recovery from a foot problem. The England international has been sidelined with the injury since December, but he has managed to return to the mix after an hour-long run-out with the Under 23s.

Speaking in a press conference, Klopp revealed that Gomez is available for selection for the first-team after missing nearly four months of action, he said: “Absolutely [he looks strong]. Ox and Joe both did really well at Leicester, it was a brilliant game by all of the boys, to be honest, I watched it back. It looked really good.

Gabriel Jesus Fighting for a First-Team Spot Alongside Sergio Aguero

Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus claims that he will be fighting for a first-team spot with Sergio Aguero even if he has been on the losing side more often than not the season. The Brazilian forward has enjoyed an inconsistent 2018-19 campaign. Even by his own admission, the 21-year-old’s form has not been at its best after a scintillating start to his life in the Premier league since coming from Brazil – as an unknown entity in 2016. Jesus was able to come up with a remarkable seven goals in just 10 league outings but he has since scored only six over the last 23 matches.

Jesus is back on international duty with the Brazilian national team and he has admitted that the start to his life in the Premier League was almost unbelievable. However, he is now at a time when he has to fight for his first-team spot knowing that an established centre forward like Sergio Aguero is in front of him in the pecking order. Aguero has the most number of goals in Manchester City’s history and his reputation will be going in front of him. Even though Jesus is on the bench for most of the games, the Brazilian says that he will continue to fight for a starting spot.

Pages

Subscribe to I Love Football RSS