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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…

Steven Gerrard has been praising Joe Aribo again, after the former Charlton man impressed his manager and fans in the 3-0 League Cup win over East Fife.

What’s he said?

Gerrard has sung the praises of one of his most interesting summer signings, with Aribo already catching the imagination of the supporters. The Nigerian midfielder has settled into life at Ibrox quickly, scoring four times in his eight appearances for the Light Blues.

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Brought in from promoted Championship new boys Charlton Athletic, Aribo has put disconcerting voices behind him to make a flying start to his Gers career.

As reported by BBC Sport, the Gers manager was full of praise for the 23-year-old after Sunday’s win: “I am not sure how many good players have been at this stadium, but I don’t think you will see many better than Joe.

“He can go as far as he wants. I hope he stays alongside me for many years, but he’s got the world at his feet.”

Gerrard is spot on

Aribo came to Ibrox this summer off the back of helping Charlton get promoted to the second-tier of English football, and attracted some interest from big clubs in the past campaign. A transfer to Arsenal seemed an unlikely deal, but given his start to life at Rangers, you can understand why Unai Emery might’ve had a look at the midfielder before his move to Glasgow.

A Celtic fan has claimed Celtic won’t just join the EPL in the near future but they’ll make the Top 4 as well! Watch the controversial video below…

The fact that he’s settled into life at a club as demanding as the Gers so quickly shows he can cope with the pressure of the biggest stages. This bodes well for Gerrard’s comment that he feels Aribo can go as far in the game he wishes. Potential suitors can look to his blistering start at an important juncture in the season as a reason to pursue the midfield star in the future.

While it’s a bit early for him to be looking for a move away, continuing in this fashion will almost certainly prove his manager’s praise to be right. If Aribo can keep up this incredible form and make it last across the season he could very well have the world at his feet and the biggest clubs in Europe at his door.

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Yesterday’s Serie A transfer roundup discussed the confirmed departure of Patrick Cutrone from AC Milan as well as the latter’s talks for Angel Correa, and Napoli’s prepared bid for Wilfried Zaha. Today’s editions focuses on Inter’s interest in Duvan Zapata, the Rossoneri’s capture of Rafael Leao and Joao Cancelo’s potential switch to Manchester City.

Inter eye Zupata

Report: According to FCInterNews, Internazionale are turning their attention to Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata and away from Romelu Lukaku. La Dea reportedly value the striker at €60m (£54.9m) but may be willing to negotiate if an offer is made.

Verdict: Zapata has been a solid Serie A striker for several years, but was never able to score more than 11 goals in a league season during his time in Italy. All of that changed last term, however. The Colombia international ended the campaign on 23 strikes, which was only bettered by Fabio Quagliarella, as Atalanta qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history. No wonder, then, that a giant like Inter, who will also play in Europe’s premier club competition next season, are interested. Mauro Icardi has no future at the San Siro and, as such, Antonio Conte needs top quality to replace him. The 28-year-old former Sampdoria striker might just be that man.

How likely is the deal: 6.5/10

Milan confirm Leao capture

Report: AC Milan have confirmed the signing of Rafael Leao from Lille. The 20-year-old will sign a five-year deal with the club, with Milan paying a reported fee of up to €30m (£27.5m) for his signature.

Verdict: Following the departure of Cutrone, another striker was needed at the San Siro, and Rafael Leao has been chosen as that man. The Brazilian did well in Ligue 1 last season, scoring eight goals in 16 starts as Lille qualified for the Champions League. For the French club, it is another blow following the exit of Nicolas Pepe, who has joined Arsenal. So far during this transfer window, they have made £135m. With about a month left before the transfer window closes in France, they have plenty of time to replace that loss of talent.

How likely is the deal? Completed

Cancelo close to City

Report: As per Italian outlet Tuttosport, Joao Cancelo is close to sealing a move to Manchester City this summer, and should even be confirmed as a Citizens player in the next few days. It is said that the Premier League club will pay between €30m (£27.5m) and €35m (£32.1m) for the Portugal international, with Danilo going in the opposite direction.

Verdict: There has been a lot of speculation in regards to this deal over the summer, but this indicates a breakthrough has been made. The 25-year-old only joined Juventus last year but didn’t look to have Massimiliano Allegri’s full confidence and only started 22 Serie A matches out of a possible 38. Pep Guardiola currently has Kyle Walker as his first-choice right-back with Danilo in reserve, so the former Barcelona boss will be hoping that the former Valencia man will be able to provide stronger competition for the England international. If the deal is completed, Cancelo will become City’s third major signing of the transfer window after Rodri and Angelino.

How likely is the deal? 8/10

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According to Sky Sports News, Tottenham Hotspur will not be signing a new right-back in this summer’s transfer window despite the sale of Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid.

And the Spurs fans have taken to social media to reveal their fury.

Indeed, the report claims that head coach Mauricio Pochettino will not be entering the market for a new right-back due to the presence of both Serge Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters.

Walker-Peters has been the main right-back during pre-season as Aurier has not yet been involved following Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Juan Foyth has also been used in that area of the field, meanwhile.

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The Tottenham supporters, though, are furious at the thought of their team failing to sign a replacement for Trippier, who helped Atletico record a stunning 7-3 win over Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup on Friday night.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Liverpool fans are confident that the club do not need to make any signings in the summer transfer window after Jurgen Klopp claimed that the club’s youngsters could break into the first-team after a busy pre-season, per the club’s official Twitter account.

The club have signed 17-year-old defender Sepp van den Berg this summer and reports suggest they are closing in on the acquisition of Fulham youngster Harvey Elliott.

Last summer, of course, the Reds embarked on a spending spree, bringing in the likes of Fabinho and Alisson Becker as they prepared for a season in which they lost just once in the Premier League and won the Champions League.

The likes of Manchester City, who pipped the Reds to the title, and Tottenham Hotspur have already broken their transfer records to sign Rodri and Tanguy Ndombele respectively.

But Klopp is confident in the club’s production line, insisting that youngsters can make an impact as they head on a pre-season tour of America.

He said: “These boys, they are our future if they want to be our future. That’s how it is, and for that they need to take all the steps. But for them, this pre-season is, of course, exciting.

“So we need all of them, and it’s nice and using only as an example…Paul Glatzel and Bobby Duncan, wow. Our offensive line, that played most of last year, are coming pretty late to join us in the pre-season so there will be moments of course when they have to play and not only Tranmere or whatever but for sure in America as well.

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“When you are already in the club, then the door is always open for you to the first team, the only thing is you have to go through by yourself. We only open the door, we don’t push you through it.

“So I’m open, I’m very open for exciting football players and if the boys show up, good for them and good for us.”

And fans believe that the former Borussia Dortmund boss knows what he is doing with the club’s youngsters and trust him to mastermind yet another title challenge in 2019/20.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Clearly, reaching the Champions League final is not enough for Tottenham.

Indeed it looks as if the new direction Mauricio Pochettino had been talking about via Sky Sports News is actually being followed, amid strong links to Jack Clarke (Sky Sports News), Tanguy Ndombele (Sky Sports News) and Giovani Lo Celso (BBC Sport).

Certainly pleasant reading for the hordes of transfer-deprived Tottenham fans but, while they are undeniably in need of recruitment, they also have a number of prospects that have bundles of potential. Exciting stuff.

A pertinent example of this comes in the form of Argentinian centre-back Juan Foyth, who could be destined for a big campaign.

The Tottenham man was made to watch from the sidelines as Argentina started their Copa America campaign in poor form. However, Foyth was given a starting role in their high-pressure final group game against Qatar, a game his country won despite not looking overly convincing.

Still learning, Foyth showed himself to be a versatile member of the squad, proving capable both in the centre and at the right of the defence. As per Transfermarkt, he made 14 appearances centrally, as well as three on the right-hand side and, largely, versatility is a quality Pochettino has favoured since arriving at Tottenham, regularly utilising the likes of Mousa Sissoko, Eric Dier and Heung-min Son in a variety of positions.

Obviously, 23-year-old Davinson Sanchez was brought to Tottenham in a stunning £42 million deal as reported by the Guardian from Ajax, who is usually recognised as significantly ahead of the Argentinian in the pecking order. Indeed, he still remains ahead, but by how much is debatable.

Where the Colombian struggled during a season impacted by injury (missing 12 games), Foyth took his opportunities well. Impressively, he finished the season with a pass completion rate of 85.2% in the league, 90% in the Champions League and 97.5% in Argentina’s recent win (per WhoScored).

Noted for his ability to play out from the back – if given the time – could truly blossom into a top-level Premier League player.

Tottenham fans, what did you make of Foyth last season? Should he be ahead of Sanchez in the pecking order? Will he ever be good enough to start? Comment below. 

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Kieran Trippier could leave the club this summer, with Juventus interested in signing the England international, per Corriere dello Sport.

New Juve boss Maurizio Sarri is said to be an admirer of the right-back, having worked in the Premier League with Chelsea throughout the 2018/19 campaign.

Ironically, Trippier endured perhaps his worst display of the season against Sarri’s side, scoring an own goal at Stamford Bridge as Spurs lost 2-0 in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, the defender has been identified as a potential replacement to Joao Cancelo, who could move to Manchester City in this transfer window.

Napoli have also been credited with an interest in securing the full-back, with Norwich City teenager Max Aarons already reportedly identified as a potential successor.

But should Spurs look to cash in on the 28-year-old if the Italian side firm up their interest with a concrete bid in this transfer window?

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below!

Charles Jones

“Trippier may have had a terrible campaign in 2018/19, but the phrase “form is temporary, class is permanent” is so well known for a reason. Even though the England international is going through a tricky patch that saw him make two errors leading to goals in the Premier League last season, he should be given a chance to recover his form. The fact that Juventus – a top European club – are interested in him says a lot. He has proven himself to be a good player over the years with his assist output, amassing 67 throughout his career. He’s just in a bad run of form, and Spurs could live to regret selling him if he leaves this summer.”

Matt Dawson

“Spurs should sell Trippier this summer but only at the right price. After the highs of the World Cup last summer when the full-back scored that superb free-kick against Croatia in the semi-finals, his displays have been dismal – Martin Lipton described his season as containing ‘more errors than moments of quality’ – so Spurs should be looking to cash in. They’ve already been linked with a swoop for Max Aarons this summer so it seems like a no-brainer to sell Trippier and get in the Norwich man instead.”

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Ben Goodwin

“The reaction against Trippier this season is a little bizarre to me, as it’s perfectly normal for players to have some campaigns worse than others, especially immediately following an international tournament. After a superb season in 17/18, when he recorded five assists in just 24 league games, followed by a brilliant World Cup with England, some bad form in a side that lost 20 games in all competitions is hardly the end of the world. Keep him for one more year and then re-assess – Trippier has already shown enough quality throughout his Premier League career to suggest he can bounce back from this slump.”

Ever since the departure of Chris Wood in 2017, it has been glaringly obvious that Leeds United have been missing a natural goal-scorer who has the attributes needed to set the Championship alight on a consistent basis.

Although both Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe did show glimpses of what they are capable of producing during the 2018/19 campaign, their struggles with injuries ultimately played a huge role in why the Whites missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

Despite the boost that the club will undoubtedly receive from the news that Marcelo Bielsa will be staying at the club next season, it is obvious that the Argentine will have to work his magic in the upcoming transfer window if Leeds are to achieve success in the Championship.

By getting his recruitment spot on between now and September, it would not be at all surprising if the former Athletic Bilbao boss secures top-flight football in 2020. However, by making some costly errors this summer, Bielsa could risk unravelling all the hard-work that he has done to transform the Whites’ fortunes since joining the club last June.

With an abundance of players available for transfer, Leeds fans ought to be relieved that their side are not looking to resurrect their interest in one of their previous targets.

According to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay, the Whites will be steering clear of trying to sign Abel Hernandez despite the forward being available on a free transfer this summer after being released by CSKA Moscow earlier this week.

An incredibly inconsistent marksman, the Uruguayan only managed to score three goals for the Russian outfit last season and has looked a shadow of the player who fired in 20 goals for Hull City during an immense 2015/16 campaign at the KCOM Stadium.

Such has been the extent of Hernandez’s woes in recent times, it could be argued that if the Whites had decided to bring him in, he would have struggled to get into the team over Bamford who himself has hardly been pulling up any trees for his side.

What do you think Leeds fans? Are you relieved that your club will not be signing Hernandez this summer? Or could it have been worth the risk to bring in the 28-year-old? Get in touch below.

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How would Leicester cope if they lost Harry Maguire this summer? It’s difficult to tell but they’d almost certainly be worse off.

The central defender attracted the interest of Manchester City last weekend with the Foxes staring down the barrel of losing another one of their key players.

However, in Josh Knight, they have a rising star who after a loan spell away, has never looked more ready to make his senior Leicester bow.

Knight has been impressing whilst on loan at Peterborough and should Maguire leave, it’s players like him that can help soften the blow.

The 21-year-old is an authoritative and imposing player that bears similarities to the Foxes’ current number 15, and under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers he’ll be one to watch.

He has a history of developing young players, particularly at Celtic, and that should be encouraging for both Knight and supporters of the club. Rodgers took Filip Benkovic under his wing whilst still in charge of the Hoops and progressed his game significantly.

With Benkovic returning to the King Power next season, he’s another man capable of stepping up in place of Maguire. The Croat is also 21 and with him and Knight they could have their future centre-back pairing in the making.

However, the latter is still some way behind. His loan spell in League One has gone well but it’s a significant step down from the Premier League. It would be foolish to put him right into the first team next term but it’s definitely worth seeing what he can do.

He’s already made one first team appearance, albeit from the bench in the League Cup, but it shows how highly rated he is at the Foxes. A new contract in January provides further evidence.

The fact Knight is versatile should also work in his favour ahead of next term. He can play at right-back whilst for Peterborough last weekend he played in defensive midfield and didn’t look out of place.

Leicester’s midfield is strong but it’s another option worth bearing in mind for Rodgers. Next year could be a breakthrough campaign for Knight, but that will likely depend on whether Maguire does move on.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been giving their verdict on the week’s big transfer news, as Jake Hastie will join the club on a four-year deal.

After months of speculation, Hastie has finally signed for Rangers, the club confirmed on Wednesday.

The 20 year-old will join at the end of the season, penning a four-year contract once his deal at Motherwell ends.

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The Gers will likely have to pay a small compensation fee to the Fir Park outfit, but nonetheless Steven Gerrard will surely be delighted to snag a bright young prospect without spending big bucks.

Hastie has enjoyed a breakout season at Motherwell, scoring 11 goals and adding seven assists in all competitions.

He plays mostly from the left-wing, but similarly to Glenn Middleton he is versatile enough to play in various positions in attack.

With Jordan Jones joining this summer and Jamie Murphy due to return from injury, the gaffer now has a whole host of options to choose from on the flank.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are loving the club’s confirmation of the deal…

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The sky is blue and water is wet.

In other news, the Everton fans absolutely love French defender Lucas Digne.

Digne joined Everton from Barcelona in last summer’s transfer window and he has been in very good form for the Toffees in recent months.

According to WhoScored, the 25-year-old won four aerial duels and made four tackles during his team’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

It was not the first time that Digne had put in a strong performance for his side this season and it will certainly not be the last.

When the 23-time France international took to social media after Sunday’s match, his post was always likely to bring a host of positive responses from the Everton fans.

And that indeed proved to be the case, with a number showing their admiration for the Frenchman, who is seemingly enjoying his time at Goodison Park.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: