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In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

On Wednesday night at Anfield, the first Merseyside derby of the season saw Liverpool romp to a 5-2 win that kept them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League going into this weekend’s games.

There have been many Reds players past and present who claim to have been boyhood supporters of neighbours Everton, including Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Ian Rush and Adam Lallana. [via Daily Star]

One man who directly swapped one Merseyside club for another was Nick Barmby, who crossed Stanley Park in 2000 in a £6m deal and became the first player since Dave Hickson in 1959 to leave Everton for Liverpool, as archived from liverpoolfc.tv.

It was a moment of retribution for the winger and boyhood Reds fan, who nine years previously had an unsuccessful trial at Anfield before his transfer “caused an unprecedented furore on Merseyside”, according to liverpoolfc.tv.

Barmby’s first Liverpool goal came in a 1-0 UEFA Cup win away to Rapid Bucharest, although it was his next goal which stood out among the eight he scored in a red shirt.

It came with a diving header 12 minutes into the Merseyside derby at Anfield, the first since his crosstown switch and a game in which many of the visiting Everton fans taunted their former winger with chants of ‘Judas’ (as per lfchistory.net).

Barmby was also involved in the build-up to Emile Heskey’s goal in a 3-1 Liverpool victory that day as he got one over on his former club. [via BBC]

The Reds won three trophies in 2000/01 and the England winger scored along the way to those League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup triumphs, netting in the penalty shoot-out in the final of the former, but the following campaign would not be so kind to him.

He made just 12 appearances and didn’t score in 2001/02, with an ankle injury ruling him out for most of that season, and was allowed to depart for Leeds in August 2002 in a £2.75m deal (as per Daily Mail).

Barmby’s Liverpool career may only have lasted a couple of years but he made his mark during the treble-winning 2000/01 season, not least in the derby against the club that he boldly left to come to Anfield.

Liverpool fans, were you shocked by Barmby’s switch from Everton in 2000? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Tottenham Hotspur tallied an incredible 5-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday afternoon and it’s safe to say they’ve swiftly managed to move on from that bitter defeat against Manchester United last week.

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Jose Mourinho is currently doing rather well at the helm of Spurs and it seems that multiple players are also enjoying themselves thus far.

One of those players is Lucas Moura, who bagged a goal against Burnley himself and that strike combined with his overall effort prompted plenty of endorsement from many of the fans on social media.

And even though a goal to his name already suggests he did his share of the work, the fans seem to have noticed that he did much more than just rattle the net.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

They were quick to praise him for his work-rate and putting so much effort into making sure Spurs tally that big win. And they were not wrong as the 5ft 8 ace registered one key pass, three dribbles, two tackles and two interceptions against Burnley on top of that goal.

By all accounts, it was a great display from the 27-year-old and the fans want him to keep the momentum going.

Moura and co. have Bayern Munich next on their schedule and that would definitely be a good time for everyone to step up and make a statement.

Meanwhile, Chelsea really dodged a bullet by not going through with a transfer for a man who was supposed to help them fill Hazard’s void…

The joint-winner of the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season along with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has once again been one of the rare bright sparks of a tumultuous Arsenal season.

The Gabon international has struck 13 times in 21 games across all competitions – a particularly impressive feat when considering he has played from both the right and left hand sides of the attack too. But whilst the 30-year-old has done well on a personal level, his side as a whole have been a major let down.

Can you name all of these obscure Arsenal signings? Give it a go now!

The Gunners endured a chastening 3-0 defeat against Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, and the result never really looked in doubt after Kevin De Bruyne’s incredible early strike. And whilst Pep Guardiola’s men put on a clinic, Arsenal fans weren’t too happy with Aubameyang’s performance in the defeat.

A few Arsenal fans even urged the club to let the centre-forward go, with reports in recent weeks even claiming that Aubameyang has shelved contract contracts due to his concerns over their ability to contest for trophies.

Having been one of Arsenal’s most reliable performers this season – particularly in front of goal – Aubameyang’s virtually anonymous display against City didn’t sit right. As per Sofascore, he had no shots on target, made just nine passes, and was dribbled past four times. It was a performance that symbolised the club’s current situation: aimless.

Meanwhile, Freddie Ljungberg can leave a legacy behind as interim head coach by doing this one key thing.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been sent into overdrive after the club’s official Twitter feed uploaded footage of Giovani Lo Celso earlier this week.

This montage of the 24-year-old’s best bits from his maiden season in north London has certainly geared up excitement amongst supporters with the Premier League set to return in a little over two weeks time.

Several members of the Spurs faithful were left swooning over the attacking midfielder, lauding him everything from “world class” to a “beast.”

Here’s what has been said…

Lo Celso, who is now valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, has played 28 times for Spurs since joining the club from Real Betis in the summer. He’s provided two goals and one assist and is averaging 1.5 dribbles, one key pass and 0.8 shots per game, via WhoScored.

The footage has fans that excited that a couple of fans have talked him up to be the best midfielder in the top-flight and that the rest of the division isn’t ready for him.

Tottenham’s season has gone slightly off the rails since the turn of the year. Jose Mourinho’s side have crashed out of all cup competitions and have sunk seven points adrift of the top four.

However, much of the Spurs faithful believe the Argentine magician is one of the only players who can come out of it with something to talk about.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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So much so that one supporter claimed that he had carried the rest of the team on his back whilst another believed he fought for the shirt, which is of course a very good way to win over your new fanbase.

With the Premier League due back on June 17th, it’s only a small matter of time before the Spurs faithful get to witness this maestro once again.

AND in other news, Spurs fans discuss Jan Vertonghen after image emerges…

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to the news that Chloe Arthur has completed a move to the club from Birmingham City.

The 25-year-old midfielder will move across the city of Birmingham having had a two-year spell with the Blues and is the first of Gemma Davies’ summer signings ahead of the new Barclays FA Women’s Super League season.

Arthur initially began her playing career in her native Scotland, gaining a chance with Celtic at the age of 17 after impressing through the club’s youth ranks.

A three-year spell at the club ended with a move to Hibernian where she played a huge part in their success, finishing second in the league and reaching the League Cup final in 2015.

It was after that superb year, the Erskine born footballer would move to England, joining Bristol City for a two-year spell before moving to Birmingham.

Arthur will link with another former Birmingham player in Eniola Aluko, who was appointed sporting director for the women’s setup at the club in January 2020.

Reacting to the official club announcement of Arthur’s move to Villa, fans reacted in their numbers…

What do you make of Arthur’s switch from the Blues to Villa? Let us know in the comments section below…

According to Football Insider, Rangers face the prospect of a bidding war to land Peterborough striker Ivan Toney this summer.

What’s the word?

With reports in recent weeks indicating that Alfredo Morelos could be heading out of Ibrox come the end of the season, it’s been no surprise to see the Gers being linked with a replacement for the Colombia international.

Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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Now, Football Insider have revealed that with the likes of Rangers, Celtic and West Brom all interested in Toney, Peterborough are keen for a bidding war to break out, and hope that this could lead to a fee in the region of £8m being secured for him.

Perfect Morelos replacement

With Morelos’ future uncertain, Ross Wilson and co could do a lot worse than bringing Toney north of the border this summer.

The 24-year-old was in prolific form for Peterborough, notching an astonishing 26 goals in just 39 games, not to mention his seven assists too – in fact since the turn of the year, he had netted ten goals in ten games in League One.

It’s no surprise that his manager at the club, Darren Ferguson, has waxed lyrical about what Toney brings to the table. He said: “Ivan is still young. He will improve further and I am just delighted we have him here as he is undoubtedly the best all-round player in League One. He scores all sorts of goals. He scores with either foot from all sorts of distances and he scores with his head.

“But he also has a great touch and good feet. He passes the ball well and he’s good at set-pieces at both ends of the pitch. Last season I felt he needed to be riled to become aggressive, but this season he’s just gone out there and played hard from the first game. He’s too much for League One defenders to handle.”

If Rangers are looking are for someone to come in and replace Morelos both in terms of his goals and aggression, then Toney seems like the perfect man for the job.

Key information about Stadium of Light

The Stadium of Light was built in 1997 and now houses the League One outfit Sunderland AFC. The ground is located on the former site of the Monkwearmouth Colliery by Ballast Wiltshire plc, less than two miles away from their previous home.

Its current capacity stands at an impressive 48,707 and it has a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with natural grass, it has undersoil heating installed and no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance for a football game at the Stadium of Light was set on 13 April 2002 when 48,353 watched the hosts’ clash against Liverpool.

A history of Stadium of Light

When the Stadium of Light was built in 1997, it replaced Sunderland’s former home for 99 years, Roker Park, that is now located about two miles away. And the main force behind the decision to build a new ground was actually the Taylor Report that stated all stadiums in the top two tiers in England had to be all-seaters.

With Roker Park’s design, it was practically impossible to convert it into an all-seater without dwindling the capacity to nonexistent figures that would surely harm the club. So, a decision was made to move to a new ground instead. Construction started in May 1996 and took 14 months to complete, ultimately producing one of the finest stadiums in Europe at the time, which could still be said in the present day.

The initial capacity was just around 40,000 – which would shortly be expanded even more – and with the famous atmosphere the Sunderland fans can produce, it was set to be as fiery and as exciting as the former ground was.

On 30 July 1997, the Stadium of Light was officially opened and the first game to be played there was a 0-0 draw with Ajax. But over the next couple of years, it would host numerous other big events such as international clashes and a huge match with Liverpool in 2002 that set the record attendance of 48,353.

Luckily for them, just a couple of years prior to that, they extended the North Stand to boost the capacity to 49,000, which reportedly cost a further £7m. All of that, and the modern look along with the facilities and the hospitality, would play a part in the Stadium of Light hosting a huge Euro 2004 qualifying game between England and Turkey, which ended in a 2-0 win for the former side. Two years later, the Three Lions would play there again, this time against Australia.

Over the years, there were some changes made to the ground such as the construction of a learning facility known as the Centre for Light, a sensory room followed in 2015 and a Fan Zone in that same year but the latter has been on and off on numerous occasions and is not a steady part of their repertoire.

The Stadium of Light also has a complex called the Stadium Village, A 30 hectare site area around the ground, which is a mixture of commercial, residential and entertainment facilities.

Tickets to watch Sunderland AFC at Stadium of Light

All tickets to watch Sunderland AFC play at Stadium of Light can be found on the club’s official website. The adult tickets cost from around £20 to £40, depending on the category chosen.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme and memberships that can get you a discount.

Related links

https://www.safc.com/ – Official website of Sunderland AFC

https://www.safc.com/history/stadiums/stadium-of-light – The history of Stadium of Light

https://www.eticketing.co.uk/safc/ – Tickets to watch Sunderland AFC at Stadium of Light

It really feels like Manchester United are on the verge of getting back to greatness.

The Red Devils went unbeaten for their final 16 league games, keeping 10 clean sheets in the process, and with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes adding a lot more gumption going forward, it seems as though they’re close to getting it absolutely right at both ends of the park.

The defence seems to be as strong as it needs to be with that gluttony of clean sheets, but it seems as though United are after a new attacking option, with the reported Jadon Sancho move edging ever closer, and if he does sign that will be one frightening prospect for any backline.

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We’ve seen some incredible attacking trios over the years with Barcelona’s fabled MSN featuring Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymer, while their El Clasico rivals fielded a frontline known as the BBC with Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo helping them to four Champions League titles in five years.

However, those trios are now a thing of the past with Ronaldo and Neymar both moving on, and United’s new-look frontline has the potential to be the envy of the entire footballing world.

Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are all still incredibly young, but they’re putting up numbers that even the world’s elite attackers would be envious of, contributing to a combined 87 goals in all competitions last season, and with Martial being the oldest at the age of 24, this is a trio that could be deadly for the best part of a decade.

The BBC and MSN have been and gone, and it may be time for United to form the RMS with Rashford, Martial and Sancho, and with the potential nickname being inspired by a ship, perhaps this trio could steer United to a league title.

Burnley are reportedly among several Premier League clubs interested in signing Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster on loan.

Goal.com reported that the Clarets have made enquiries about the 20-year-old, with the Reds apparently seeking a loan move to a top-flight club where he could get regular game-time as the next step in his development.

According to Goal.com, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will assess the youngster in pre-season before deciding whether to keep him at Anfield or loan him out once more.

Brewster’s stock has risen after a very successful loan spell at Swansea earlier this year in which he scored 11 goals in 22 appearances and helped them to reach the Championship play-offs. However, having made just three senior appearances at Liverpool (all in domestic cup competitions) and with Roberto Firmino very much the Reds’ first choice centre-forward, there could be scope for the 20-year-old to go out on loan again.

News of Burnley’s reported interest in the Under-17 World Cup winner comes in the wake of transfer rumours claiming that Newcastle and Southampton are interested in signing Chris Wood (as per The Mirror via HITC), who was the Clarets’ top scorer last season with 14 goals.

Aside from the New Zealand international and Jay Rodriguez, nobody else at Turf Moor scored more than six goals in 2019/20 (as per TransferMarkt), highlighting how dependent Sean Dyche has been on his two main strikers to find the net.

Even if Wood stays at Turf Moor, a loan move for Brewster would seem like an ideal one for Burnley. He is a striker in excellent form who will likely be determined to prove that he can thrive at Premier League level and show Klopp that he is the long-term answer at Liverpool. Plus, a loan move would spare the Clarets the need to take a chunk out of their transfer budget.

If Wood is lured elsewhere, the need for a potent striker like Brewster would only increase for Dyche’s team. Also, with multiple top-flight clubs interested in his services, Burnley may need to act quickly if they are to entice him to Lancashire.

Burnley fans, how big a coup would a loan deal for Brewster be if the Clarets can pull it off? Share your views in the comments section below!

According to The Daily Mail, Leeds United are one of the sides interested in signing Arsenal starlet Emile Smith Rowe on loan this summer.

What’s the word?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side look to be on the verge of completing a deal for Valencia forward Rodrigo, and it now seems they also have their attentions on another attack-minded player in Smith Rowe.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…



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The Daily Mail claim that French side AS Monaco have seen their offer of a permanent deal for the England youth international rebuffed, but that Premier League new boys Fulham and Leeds are interested in pursuing a loan deal.

The 20-year-old spent the second-half of last season on loan at Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig, but struggled to get much game-time following struggles with injury, playing just three times in the league.

Imagine him and Hernandez

One of the stars of Leeds’ Championship-winning campaign last season was undoubtedly Pablo Hernandez. The Spaniard scored nine times and provided a further nine assists, and was particularly exceptional when football restarted back in June – in the Whites’ last five games, he found the back of the net on three occasions, and set up three others, despite only playing the full 90 minutes in just one of those matches.

Hernandez’ creativity and ability to fashion chances for others from that attacking midfield position is something that Leeds currently don’t have a back-up for. But if they can manage to get Smith Rowe in, then they will have someone who could either rotate with him, or even give Bielsa’s side even more attacking thrust by playing alongside him.

Smith Rowe’s performances at Huddersfield last season were impressive, with Terriers boss Danny Cowley saying: “Emile Smith Rowe is just a really lovely player, isn’t he? He has that ability to find space. He could find space in a telephone box. He speeds the play up for you and draws and commits. I am always going to be demanding of him because, to me, he is a Premier League player so I have to treat him like that and demand Premier League standards from him.”

Bringing the Gunners youngster on loan this summer just seems like a no-brainer for Leeds.