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Liverpool will be desperate to get the better of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon in what could turn out to be a season-defining match for the Reds, with a loss working in Man City’s favour.

The Reds have come on leaps and bounds under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp as he continues to bring fans’ Premier League dreams to life at Anfield. But, supporters will know that there’s still a long way to go from here on in until the end of the season, with memories of Liverpool’s pursuit under Brendan Rodgers still haunting many.

However, with Football Insider claiming that Liverpool would accept £30 million for Dejan Lovren in the summer transfer window, perhaps Jurgen Klopp should already be looking at potential replacements.

One player who could slot right into the heart of the defence at Anfield is Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt.

Interestingly, according to a report from Bleacher Report, Liverpool are keen on the 19-year-old, but there are doubts over whether they would pay £75 million.

The youngster has made a name for himself in recent times over in Holland and he’s already well on his way to becoming a star. De Ligt plays alongside Virgil Van Dijk on the international stage with Holland, so the pair of them could become untouchable if they were to link up at Liverpool. Also, the Reds star could play a huge part in persuading him to make the move England as they clearly know each other very well already.

It’s safe to say that fans would struggle to contain their excitement if De Ligt made the move to Anfield as their side’s defence would be sorted for years to come, and they’d bag themselves one of the world’s best defensive partnerships.

And, he’s even been dubbed as the ‘new Van Dijk’ (as per the Mirror), which adds more incentive for FSG to go out and splash the cash on the central defender as they’ve seen how good Van Dijk has been this season.

Liverpool fans, would you want to see De Ligt at Anfield? Join the discussion by commenting down below! 

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Steven McClaren was dismissed as QPR manager on Monday morning after the Rs suffered a humiliating 2-1 home defeat against Bolton Wanderers, a result which has left them just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

It seems unlikely that the west London outfit will drop into the third tier this season but their barren run of form of late has sealed McClaren’s fate.

Attention will now turn towards his successor and discussion is already rife regarding a handful of candidates who could step into the former England manager’s shoes.

A common theme running throughout reports is QPR’s need to appoint a manager who is willing to trust in young players due to the club’s financial situation.

Here’s what the media have had to say about McClaren’s dismissal:

Garry Rowett a contender – Birmingham Mail

An exclusive report from the Birmingham Mail has revealed Gary Rowett is a contender to take the reigns at Loftus Road.

The 45-year-old has been linked with to step into the QPR hotseat in the past, but his failure to get Stoke City into the playoff places before he was dismissed from his position at the Bet365 Stadium must surely pose a notable concern.

Four managers in contention – West London Sport

West London Sport have also claimed that Rowett is in the running for the job, but Tim Sherwood, Mark Warburton and Michael Appleton are also under consideration.

The report claims that Les Ferdinand has identified Sherwood as his first-choice option and the club would favour a swift appointment.

However, Appleton and Warburton have both showcased the ability to blood young players into the first-team squad in previous roles, and QPR’s financial constraints are likely to ensure that the next manager will need to trust in academy prospects.

Kevin Gallen talks up Tim Sherwood’s credentials – Sky Sports

Former QPR striker Kevin Gallen has delivered his verdict on Sherwood’s credentials amidst reports that he is a candidate to take the vacant role, per Sky Sports.

And the 43-year-old focused on Sherwood’s history with blooding in young players and suggested that his willingness to adopt that policy at Spurs makes him ideal for the job.

“He (Tim) didn’t have the greatest time at Villa but brought through a lot of youngsters through at Spurs.

“With Financial Fair Play at the moment and money troubles at QPR, they are in need someone who will operate under a lower budget working under restraint, and will need to bring young players through.”

Eddie Howe would have been pleased with the business Bournemouth were able to do in the January transfer window, bringing in both Dominic Solanke and Nathaniel Clyne from Liverpool.

With the latter having only arrived at the Vitality Stadium on loan, though, the Cherries boss could soon find himself without him with another Premier League club now said to be interested in his services.

The Breakdown

According to Goal, West Ham are keen on signing Clyne permanently in the summer with Liverpool said to be willing to do business at around £15m.

With Pablo Zabaleta possibly set to leave the London Stadium at the end of season, it makes sense that the east London outfit are interested in the Liverpool loanee.

However, with Clyne starting to rediscover some of the form he showed a few seasons ago, Bournemouth would be silly to let West Ham win the race for his signature.

Before his move to Anfield and a host of injuries, Clyne, who is valued at £13.5 million (by Transfermarkt), was easily one of the leading right-backs in the Premier League.

On his day, there were few wingers who could get past him. At 28, he may struggle to reach that level again.

Still, under Howe at Bournemouth, the England international is finally managing to find some consistency.

And if he keeps it up, the Cherries will find it hard to spot a better right-back in the transfer market this summer.

Bournemouth fans, do you want to see Clyne remain at the Vitality Stadium amid West Ham’s interest? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Watford are a side with a stark history of staging dramatic comebacks to triumph in the face of adversity, but even the most optimistic of fans would have been struggling to see a way back for their side at 2-0 down on Sunday.

Wolves were largely fancied by the British media in the pre-match buildup, with their convincing giant-killing of Manchester United in the quarter-final lending reason to believe that a place in the final was beckoning.

But the impact of Gerard Deulofeu from the substitutes bench saw the Hornets stage a historic comeback at Wembley to book their place in the final against Manchester City next month.

The diminutive Spaniard dominated the post-match headlines after scoring a sensational goal to half the deficit before landing the decisive knockout blow in extra-time.

It was the type of cameo performance which naturally evokes interest from journalists and pundits worldwide and, with that in mind, Football FanCast have rounded up a selection of the reaction to the 25-year-old’s deadly impact on the big stage…

Simon Burnton – The Guardian

Simon Burnton of The Guardian drew comparisons with Deulofeu’s first strike of the game and the subtle yet exquisitely intricate motion of a spin bowler.

Just like fans of Australian cricket ritually re-watch videos of bamboozling Shane Warne googlies, Deulofeu’s strike will be replayed by nostalgic Watford fans for decades to come – bowling Gerard!

‘Deulofeu’s first goal, 13 minutes after coming on, was an act of defiance and a thing of beauty, the Spaniard collecting the ball in the area after Romain Saïss headed down a José Holebas long throw, looking up, assessing his options, deciding none of them amounted to much and then flicking his ankle like a cricketing spinner turns his wrist to impart dip and curl on the ball and transform a situation from which little seemed possible into a large stride towards glory.’

Ron Walker – Sky Sports

Sky Sports’ Ron Walker raised a valid point regarding a facet of Deulofeu’s performance which slightly went under the radar within the media storm surrounding his goal scoring exploits.

The former Barcelona prodigy was not only scintillating in the final-third but also a solid defensive pawn.

His devilish charisma in the attacking phase was supplemented with a tireless work-rate and desire to preserve Watford’s defensive shape.

‘The winning goal was meat and drink compared to that strike and while it is unfortunate the substitute had to return to the bench after injuring himself towards the end of extra-time, it summed up his short afternoon that he was hurt tracking back to cut out Ruben Vinagre’s run.’

Phil McNulty – BBC Sport

BBC’s chief football writer, Phil McNulty, left readers with no uncertainty in how highly he regarded the game-changing impact provided by Deulofeu.

The player who once played alongside Lionel Messi in Catalonia was afforded praise of the highest esteem.

McNulty suggested the world’s most gifted footballer of all time would have been watching on with fond admiration when the ball was caressed into John Ruddy’s goal.

‘This maverick 25-year-old, a player of undoubted talent but unfulfilled potential at Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla and AC Milan, chose what looked like Watford’s losing cause to produce a cameo performance as substitute that will write his name into Vicarage Road folklore.

‘Lionel Messi would have appreciated the stroke of genius from his former Nou Camp team-mate that put Watford back in the game after 79 minutes, an astonishing instinctive flick from the angle of the penalty area that sent the ball arcing over Wolves keeper John Ruddy into the top corner.’

The Verdict

The genius behind Deulofeu’s display lay within Gracia’s pre-match decision to omit him from the starting XI. It takes genuine cojones (credit Troy Deeney) to drop a player of his calibre for a high-magnitude fixture, but it was one which ultimately gave Watford’s match-winner the motivation to do something truly special on the big stage.

Not only was this an act of defiance against Wolves’ dream of reaching the final of the FA Cup, this was a rebellion against Gracia’s selection; a reminder to his manager that for however cold he might blow on a Tuesday night against Fulham he can equally blow hot on a Sunday afternoon at the home of English football.

Newcastle United have never played in the third tier of English football, but older fans will travel to Leicester later, reminiscing about the game between the two that kept that record in tact, and probably saved the club from going out of business.

When Ossie Ardiles was sacked by Newcastle after a dismal 5-2 defeat at Oxford United, The Magpies found themselves second bottom of the table, four points adrift of safety, and looking doomed to be dropping down into the third division for the first time in their history.

A moment in time – Newcastle vs Leicester, 1992

When a hastily arranged press conference took place, and the next Newcastle manager, Kevin Keegan, walked in, it left the football world gasping.

Little did anyone know what the next few years would have in store for the club, but at that time, Keegan, along with his number two and friend, Terry McDermott, had one task on his remit — to save Newcastle United.

Keegan lost just two of his first nine games in charge, and things were looking better for the Toon, who had climbed above rivals Sunderland with a 1-0 win over their arch enemy, and a full five points clear of the drop-zone.

But a 6-2 defeat by Wolves began a five-game losing slump, that saw Newcastle back in the relegation mire. They were third bottom with 46 points — the same number as Oxford a place above them in safety.

Newcastle squeaked to a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in their last home game of the season, which meant Keegan’s side went to Filbert Street in the last game of the season, in 20th spot, just two points above the bottom three, with Plymouth Argyle a point behind them, and Oxford a further point back.

If results went against them, Newcastle would go down, so it was a tense atmosphere for fans before the game.

Leicester were second in the table, and looking to secure promotion, with Derby and Middlesbrough two and three points behind them respectively.

So it was a massive game, with everything on the line for both sides, although Leicester were odds-on certainties to win — but Keegan and Newcastle had not read the script.

In a tense first half, Gavin Peacock latched onto a dreadful back-pass on the stroke of half-time to chip the advancing goalkeeper, and give Newcastle a shock 1-0 lead.

The Newcastle fans were delirious, while the home fans were in a state of disbelief.

The tense feeling around the ground continued throughout the second half, and it looked like Keegan had worked the miracle, and staved off any threat of relegation, as the game moved into injury time.

But there was despair for the travelling Geordies, when big centre-back, Steve Walsh, leapt above the Newcastle defence to smash a header in, leading to scenes of pandemonium in the ground, with jubilant Leicester fans running onto the pitch, their promotion dream alive again.

When they were shepherded from the playing area the game kicked off again, with just seconds left.

But fate still had a twist in its tail, when Foxes goal hero Walsh got on the end of a desperate Newcastle punt up-field, and mistimed his header, and in a last-ditch attempt to nudge the ball back to his keeper, and away from the chasing Peacock, he poked it into his own net.

Newcastle were back in front, as the home fans ran onto the pitch and made a bee-line for the celebrating Newcastle support, leading Keegan to take his players off the pitch.

Referee, David Elleray, ended the game and Newcastle were safe, but the result meant Leicester dropped to fourth, with both Middlesbrough and Derby winning, leaving them in the play-offs, in which they lost the final against Blackburn.

As bad as things seem now for Newcastle fans under Mike Ashley’s ownership, there are a generation of fans who will look back to these times, and recall that things were a lot worse then, than they are now.

What happened after that season is legendary now, with a title-winning season the next year, and then Keegan’s Entertainers were born.

How Newcastle’s loyal following would love to think a similar win at Leicester this week could kick-start a chain of events like they did on that special weekend in 1992.

Were you at that game 27 years ago, Newcastle fans? Do you think Ashley’s could bring back the horror days like those again? Let us know…

A 4-1 result is good for any team in the Champions League, and when scorelines like this occur, it’s always good to delve into who did and didn’t have a good game, and for Divock Origi, it was the latter.

The Belgian striker made his first start in European football for Liverpool in over three years, and after 45 minutes, Origi was already off the pitch, substituted for Roberto Firmino who went on to score the Red’s third goal of the match.

Origi has had a troubled time on Merseyside since joining from Lille for £11.37 million as a promising teenager in 2014, but five years on from his move to Liverpool, it’s looking more and more likely the striker’s time at the club will come to an end this summer.

At 24, Origi is reaching an important part of his career. The talent is clearly there, but a lack of minutes at Liverpool and him finding it difficult to adjust to the English game has made the former Lille striker an undesirable acquisition for Premier League teams and a player who is too risky a gamble to make a big summer move for.

A move back to France or another country on the continent seems to be a likely move this summer, and it will be a bitter pill to swallow for Liverpool fans who at one point in time thought Origi was going to be the next best thing for the club, but in reality turned out to be a player just not good enough to cut it at the top.

Liverpool fans, should Klopp sell Origi this summer? Let us know!

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in furious fashion after it was reported that former midfielder Darren Fletcher is being considered for a role in the recruitment team at Old Trafford, as part of a revamped strategy.

The former Red Devils star is currently under contract at Championship side Stoke, although that deal is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

Which iconic Premier League team from the past would be a match for the Man City of today? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

The Scotsman would potentially work alongside Mike Phelan in helping to bring some order to United’s recruitment policy, as part of a structural revamp that is giving special consideration to figures who understand the club’s ethos.

However, some United fans aren’t happy with the direction in which the club are heading. After the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager, and former Old Trafford hero Michael Carrick on the coaching staff, some supporters feel that the club aren’t employing people who are best qualified for the job at hand.

Let’s see what the outraged United fans on Twitter have been saying about the news…

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter in disbelief after the release clause in Jack Grealish’s contract with Aston Villa was revealed.

The Villans playmaker was a target for the north Londoners back in the summer, and they had even tabled a £25m bid for the young attacking midfielder, although it was rejected.

Does your club have a legend who is criminally overrated? Fans answer this tough question in the video below…

It is believed that Villa will sacrifice the £70,000-a-week star if they do not earn promotion to the Premier League this season in order to stay within financial guidelines, although the £60m buy-out clause in his contract will leave suitors such as Spurs open mouthed.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are certainly in need of signings having seen the squad pushed to its limits towards the end of the campaign, where players such as the 34-year-old Fernando Llorente are being relied on in games as big as the Champions League semi-final.

However, judging by the Spurs fans’ reactions to Grealish’s release clause on Twitter, they aren’t optimistic about landing the 23-year-old this summer, nor would they want to spend that kind of money…

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It could all hinge on this one game.

Manchester City welcome Leicester to the Etihad Stadium tonight, where anything other than a win will leave them trailing Liverpool in the title race with just one fixture to go.

Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions, centurions even, up against the Foxes, at home, where they have only lost once in the league all season – you would expect it all to be a walk in the park, wouldn’t you?

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

On most occasions, yes. However, one of the Citizens’ four league defeats this season came against Leicester back in December, a 2-1 loss after goals from Marc Albrighton and Ricardo Pereira – interestingly, both scorers were playing on the right flank.

Fabian Delph was starting at left-back that day, arguably City’s third choice option in that department, and it is a position that hasn’t seen a standout candidate emerge even this late on in the season with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Benjamin Mendy still fighting it out for the shirt.

Worryingly for City, but encouragingly for Liverpool, Leicester have probably improved from that inspirational day during the festive period; they have taken 16 points out of a possible 24 under Brendan Rodgers.

The King Power Stadium win saw City get hurt time after time down the flanks, where Leicester created a number of good opportunities; that was even without Jamie Vardy firing on all cylinders like he is right now with a staggering 10 goals in his last nine.

This City side is probably one of the greatest we’ve ever seen in the Premier League era and seem to just keep overcoming hurdle after hurdle when all eyes have been one them, wondering if they’ll slip up.

You’d be a fool to bet against them, but Leicester have shown they can beat the big boys this season having already overcome Chelsea, City and Arsenal convincingly.

Guardiola must intensely study where his side went wrong against the Foxes in their previous battle, or he could inadvertently gift Liverpool the glimmer of hope they’ve been praying for.

When Krystian Bielik joined the Gunners in 2015, it was clear the Arsene Wenger had signed a player for the future.

The Polish teenager was an absolute unknown when he made the jump from Legia Warsaw’s reserve team to the heights of the Premier League, and although Arsenal fans have only ever seen glimpses of the defender in his four years in north London, two appearances to be exact, next season could be the time supporters finally seen what Bielik is made of.

An incredible season out on-loan at Charlton Athletic has seen Bielik emerge on the English football scene as the Pole played an important part in the Addicks sealing their place in the play-offs for promotion to the Championship.

The Poland U-21 international made 31 appearances in the regular season for Charlton, most of them from defensive midfield, and scored an impressive three goals for the London side.

After such an impressive spell out on loan, it would be sensible for Unai Emery to consider Bielik as part of his first-team plans for next season. The 21-year-old can play both defensive midfielder and centre-back and has the potential to be a Premier League quality player in the future if he is given the minutes to develop.

We have seen the Arsenal boss improve the games of both Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, two defenders who were indispensable when both fit, and Bielik could save Emery millions if the Spaniard decides to use the Pole in his plans for next season.

Arsenal fans, should Bielik be used in the Gunners first-team next season? Let us know!