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It’s pretty safe to say that Ernesto Valverde is not really one of the most beloved figures at Barcelona at this very moment.

The Basque coach has been a prime target of harsh criticism as of late and many of the fans don’t seem to want him in charge of their club.

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Be that as it may, it turns out that according to Football World Rankings, Valverde is still the number one coach on the planet, even above the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

Needless to say, as soon as they realised that was the case, many Barcelona fans simply couldn’t believe it and started slamming both the association that made the rankings and their coach himself.

One fan even stated that Florentino Perez, Real Madrid’s president, must be behind that whole thing as a way of rattling the Cules.

You can see some of their reactions and comments down in the collection of tweets below.

Check them out…

Sheffield United have completed the double signing of Callum Gribbin and Tashae Andall-Gibbons (via Sheffield Star).

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The duo have both signed deals with the Blades which run until the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

Former Manchester United youngster Gribbin has impressed whilst on trial with the Blades and is looking to kick-start his career following his release from Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old was very highly rated at United, and was one of their star youngsters back in 2015 in a team which included the likes of Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe. However, injuries struck and he was released by the Red Devils in the summer (via Manchester Evening News).

As for Andall-Gibbons, he joins from the Rising Ballers Academy and both players will link up with the Sheffield United under-23 side.

Speaking about the signings, the Blades’ academy manager Jack Lester said: “We are delighted to add Callum and Tashae to the group and we’re confident we can further their development in the coming months.

“We’ve had to move quickly to secure the signatures of both boys as there was interest in them from elsewhere, but luckily for us they saw their immediate futures here and now we want to work hard to improve them as players.”

These signings look like good moves for all concerned on paper, but especially for Gribbin.

As already mentioned he was a very highly rated player at Manchester United. He was promoted to first team training at the age of just 17 under Jose Mourinho, and were it not for injury he may have been one of the players now benefitting from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s willingness to blood in youngsters.

For the club, it is an opportunity to take two highly rated players on, see what they are about and if they do impress then they have got a couple of players in without having to pay a transfer fee.

Sheffield United fans, are you happy with the additions of Callum Gribbin and Tashae Andall-Gibbons? Let us know in the comments below…

While speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, John Hartson has praised Manchester City’s ability to rejuvenate their squad when needed.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been one of the most dominant forces of English football in recent years, winning the Premier League four times this decade.

The Citizens have spent big money in that time, and continued their spending spree by splashing out £62.8m on midfielder Rodri this summer – despite having won the league for the second consecutive season.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

It’s that approach of freshening things up that Hartson has pinpointed as something City have fully embraced and been rewarded by.

He said: “Man City have done that perfectly. They’ve got Sergio Aguero as their top goal-scorer, and then they have Gabriel Jesus for competition.

“It keeps players on their toes. I’m not sure whether you need to do it (buy a handful of new players) every year, but every so often. When a new player comes to the club it gives the whole group a lift.

“You can sense it in training, everybody wants to impress the new player. It’s a different voice in the dressing room. Dressing rooms can become stale at times. You’ve got to freshen the dressing room up and you’ve got to add to the squad to keep them hungry.”

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As former players and managers testify to, winning the Premier League is hard, but retaining it is far more difficult. City are the only team in the 2010s to have won it on consecutive occasions, and while that’s a testament to Guardiola and his players, it also comes down to their understanding of needing to constantly improve, and not resting on their laurels.

Getting to the peak of the mountain is only part of the journey, and City have shown in recent transfer windows that the only way to stay there is by being ruthless in their decision-making.

Just this past summer. for example, Guardiola waved goodbye to utility man Fabian Delph, and brought in a bona-fide long-term replacement for Fernandinho, with a big-money swoop for Rodri from Atletico Madrid.

Constantly keeping things fresh and the motivation levels high is an art form.

And, as Hartson quite rightly suggests, City really have mastered that in recent years. 

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…

Leroy Sane could leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich, hints The Athletic’s Sam Lee.

What did he say?

Sane has been subject of heavy transfer speculation regarding a return to Germany for a few months now. Over the summer, Bayern had to squash the rumours that the winger was set to join the club, but recent reports state they are still after him.

Sky Germany reported that the Bundesliga champions will go in for Sane, with City lining up Mikel Oyarzabal as a replacement. Now, reliable journalist Lee has said in his Q&A with The Athletic that he believes the German will leave.

When asked whether Sane’s lack of online engagement since his injury is anything to worry about, Lee Said: “There’s probably something in that tbh.

“I do think he’s leaving, and I think he probably would have done had he not got injured,” he added.

“City had/have a chance to convince him during his injury, buy I’m not sure how that’s going – but I have been told they are looking at options (well, one in particular) if he does leave, so I would say at this point that it’s quite likely he will – just don’t know when. (The player I’ve heard isn’t Sancho btw, although I couldn’t rule it out 100%).”

Looking likely

There is no doubt that Bayern are the leaders of German football. They are the behemoth outfit of Bundesliga and are renowned for pinching the best talent around Germany from big clubs like Borussia Dortmund.

So, all the signs do point to Sane joining the gargantuan club. The 23-year-old has has thrived in Manchester, but the idea of returning home, living by his native language and playing for the country’s top dog is perhaps too much to turn down.

Sane is out injured and will miss most of what could be his final season at the club.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Nathan Young-Coombes might not be a name familiar to all Rangers fans but he was signed from Chelsea in February, per The Sun.

Young-Coombes, 16, is a centre-forward by trade and has represented England at Under-15 level.

He has a very aggressive style for a player who lacks the obvious physicality to play up front on his own.

His aggression comes from his directness. Rather than “rag dolling” centre-halves, he uses his technique to protect the ball and cause problems, most recently demonstrated in a development game vs Hibernian.

Young-Coombes won a penalty – which he scored – and created the chance for Rangers to equalise.

Young-Coombes first came to real prominence scoring some spectacular goals in the Alkass Cup as Rangers became the first British side to win the prestigious tournament.

The Daily Record reported on Young-Coombes scoring a hat-trick in a tournament-record 7-0 win over Etoile Sahel. Etoile had previously beaten Bayern Munich’s youngsters.

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Shortly after his arrival, Young-Coombes secured Rangers’ passage to the Scottish Youth Cup final with the third goal in a victory against Aberdeen but the best was yet to come. He was to be instrumental in Rangers winning the cup final against Old Firm rivals, Celtic, scoring what proved to be the winner in the 66th minute with a header from a free-kick.

Young-Coombes has only been at Rangers a short while but he already looks like he has the talent to make the step up to first-team level.

He doesn’t turn 17 until January but it may only be a matter of time before the talented youngster is playing in Steven Gerrard’s first XI.

Charlton Athletic and Fulham both took a share of the spoils in a four-goal thriller at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.

The Addicks, who have started life in the Championship rather impressively since gaining promotion from League One, opened the scoring just before half time through loan star Conor Gallagher.

Ivan Cavaleiro then netted his fifth of the season to equalise in the second half, only for Macauley Bonne to restore Charlton’s lead within 90 seconds as his header looped over Marcus Bettinelli.

Fulham’s dangerman Aleksander Mitrovic had hit the crossbar earlier in the match, but he did eventually manage to get on the scoresheet as he poked home from less than six yards out just after the hour mark – despite questions over whether he was in an offside position.

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The home side ramped up the pressure in the final 25 minutes as they recorded 80.9% possession and eight shots, per WhoScored.

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has goalkeeper Dillon Phillips to thank for a string of high quality saves that ensured they came away with at least a point from the game.

Several of the Addicks’ faithful have taken to social media to praise the 24-year-old for his performance.

One supporter said he was a well-deserved Man of the Match while another hoped that showing would put a stop to his critics as it proved he is a top keeper.

A further member of the Charlton crowd also claimed the shot-stopper had saved them many points already this season too.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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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…

Samuel Eto’o has stated that a Liverpool player deserves to win the Ballon d’Or, but doesn’t think it will happen this year, per RFI, via Goal.

What did he say?

The frontrunners for this year’s Ballon d’Or appear to be Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk, but the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all been on top form, and the former Barcelona man thinks they are deserving of a chance.

The ex-Cameroon international also hit similar heights as a player, winning back-to-back trebles with Barcelona and Inter Milan, but was similarly not recognised in the form of an award.

Speaking to RFI, as reported by Goal, he said: “I hope I’m wrong, but the next Ballon d’Or will be neither Mane nor Salah.

“There is no explanation that Mane, Salah or Aubameyang, the top three scorers of the Premier League last season may not even be among the top five.

“Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both very strong, but this season who won the Champions League? It’s Mane and Salah.”

The Liverpool pair combined for a total of 53 goals 18 assists last season, and have started this campaign in similar fashion, so it is possible that they could be candidates for the title if they continue to perform until December.

The perfect opportunity

Mo Salah has looked destined to pick up the Ballon d’Or at some point since he burst onto the Premier League scene at Liverpool.

He had previously played for Chelsea before finding a goalscoring touch in Italy but at Anfield he has reached a level of consistency which ranks him alongside the world’s best, and his 74 goals in 110 games for the Reds show just how effective he’s been.

Last season saw a continuation of that, but the Egyptian now has the Champions League trophy to show for his efforts, and that achievement puts him ahead of Ballon d’Or rivals such as Messi or Ronaldo.

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The Barcelona forward reached his usual goalscoring heights with 51 goals in 50 appearances, including a magical free-kick in the Champions League semi-final, but it was Salah who reached the final and scored, and it is Salah who has been so valuable to Jurgen Klopp turning Liverpool into European conquerors.

He is therefore deserving of such an individual award as the Ballon d’Or, and if he continues his current goalscoring rate – three goals in four league games – then it would be quite a shock to see him miss out.

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Excitement is building among the Arsenal faithful after Dani Ceballos’ performance in Spain’s European Championship qualifier against Romania.

Spain won 2-1 with the on-loan Real Madrid man playing a beautiful pass for the ‘pre-assist’ as Paco Alcacer scored the second goal of the game.

Ceballos is enjoying his time at the Emirates Stadium so far after his man-of-the-match performance against Burnley. The Spain international assisted both goals as Arsenal beat Sean Dyche’s side 2-1.

The 22-year-old made the move to north London on a season-long loan deal in the summer. There isn’t thought to be an option to make the move permanent, though Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano (via Metro) has said that the Spanish giants have promised discussions will be held next summer over a permanent move.

Fans have already fallen head over heels for the Spaniard and took to Twitter to drool over his pass.

Here is a selection of tweets from Gooners:

Tottenham Hotspur announced in the latter stages of August that midfielder Jack Roles had left the club to join Cambridge United on loan.

Roles netted 11 times in 29 outings for Spurs during the 2018-19 campaign, with a number of those matches coming for the club’s Under-23 outfit in Premier League 2.

At the time, a number of Spurs fans reacted positively to the news as it would give the 20-year-old the chance to secure regular first-team action.

Roles netted a stunner in Cambridge’s 2-2 draw with Macclesfield Town on Saturday – his second goal in eight League Two appearances this season.

And a number of Tottenham fans have been on social media calling for their club to bring the youngster back as soon as possible.

One supporter, meanwhile, even claimed that Roles was better than Dele Alli, who has struggled for form in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Everton’s Kevin Mirallas looks set for another move away from Goodison Park, and it is a prospect which is exciting Everton fans.

According to Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad, the 31-year-old is edging closer to a move to Antwerp, and was even photographed at their Europa League qualifier on Thursday.

The winger has featured only 13 times for The Toffees in the past two years, instead spending time on loan at Olympiacos and Fiorentina, which means he is still yet to play for Marco Silva.

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He has made a total of 186 appearances for Everton since joining in 2012 but, despite his service to the club, many fans will be happy to see him depart, with some suggesting that he has wasted his career.

The Belgian has previously stated whilst in Italy that he didn’t want to return to Everton and that could explain some of the hostility towards him.

As a result, the fans are pleased that he is leaving and are looking forward to confirmation of his departure, judging by the responses below.

Let’s take a look at what the Toffees faithful have said on Twitter…

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