City rivalries often create the most intense and fiery fixtures in the world of football and Birmingham is certainly no exception to the rule.

West Bromwich Albion may not be based directly in Birmingham but their close proximity to the city makes for a relatively tense rivalry with Birmingham City FC.

But if Jude Bellingham’s latest Instagram post is anything to go by, that relationship has not deterred young players from forming relationships with other youngsters contracted to the rival club.

Birmingham’s young starlet posted a new snap on

/B8dW_oVgSg4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram celebrating his team’s recent 1-0 victory over Barnsley.

It didn’t take long for Nathan Ferguson, a rising youngster from West Brom, to like the image and show his support for his friend who happens to play for their Championship rivals.

Even though this might be unusual to see, it also shows how friendship can transcend the fires of derbies, with rivalries put to one side until the day when the two sides go head-to-head, of course.

Elsewhere, many West Brom fans were in a heated debate on one of their players that seems to be a dividing figure at the club…

Tottenham Hotspur go into battle in the Champions League this evening as they welcome Bundesliga outfit, RB Leipzig, to north London.

It’s the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, so there will be a premium on still being in the encounter for the return leg in a couple of weeks.

Although Jose Mourinho’s chances of progressing have taken a devastating dent following further injury crisis as Heung-min Son could miss the remainder of the season, joining their other primary source of goals, Harry Kane, on the treatment table.

With the away goals rule still intact under UEFA regulations, Spurs could do with keeping a clean sheet as they are at home first, but that won’t be an easy task either as the goal-laden Timo Werner comes to town.

The north Londoners know all too well about the 23-year-old as multiple reports have linked the club to his signature in the past.

Now chairman Daniel Levy and the rest of the Spurs hierarchy are going to get to witness the prolific marksman first-hand at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium tonight.

Werner has been in rampant form for the German side this campaign, scoring 23 goals and providing seven assists across the Bundesliga as well as the Champions League.

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Also per WhoScored, the striker averages 3.7 shots, 1.5 dribbles and 1.4 key passes per game, proving he’s not just a one-trick pony and rather an all-rounded threat that could cause Mourinho’s backline serious damage.

BILD’s head of football, Christian Falk, reports that Werner currently has a €60m (£49.8m) release clause that expires at the end of April, so if Levy were to reignite interest in the frontman, he’d have to act quickly to do so especially given Liverpool’s interest.

It remains to be seen if Spurs will indeed go back in for him this summer – given that Kane and Son should be back from injury ahead of next season – but if Werner is the man to have Mourinho’s men on the ropes with a goal or two this evening, you’d imagine that Levy will be sitting in his director’s box trying his best to not reach for his tight wallet.

What could’ve been… Can you name the clubs these football legends almost joined?

Either way, Spurs could be about to witness why it was a mistake to not sign him last month and why it would be an even bigger catastrophe to not continue their interest in the German international.

And in other news, Jamie O’Hara believes Spurs should have signed this Premier League STAR…

When you’re cantering towards the Premier League title in quite remarkable fashion, injuries aren’t exactly the end of the world.

Liverpool find themselves a whopping 19 points clear of Manchester City in second, and could extend that gap even further when they take on West Ham on Monday evening.

But one man who Jurgen Klopp will of course have to do without, is Jordan Henderson. The Reds boss confirmed that having been forced off late on in the Champions League last 16 clash against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, the club captain will “miss three weeks or so”.

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Naturally, Henderson’s absence will be somewhat of a blow as Liverpool look to retain their European crown, and also make an assault on the FA Cup too. But as the saying goes, when one door closes, another door opens. And Naby Keita could well be the man to step through.

The Guinea international has endured a really tough campaign this year for the Merseyside outfit, playing just 17 times across all competitions. The 25-year-old has had some wretched luck with niggling injuries, and he only returned from a recent groin strain in the 2-0 win over West Ham late in January.

And with Liverpool doing so well, Klopp naturally would have been reluctant to make any serious changes to his starting line-up heading into the business end of the season. However, now that Henderson has been ruled out for the foreseeable future at least, there is a massive chance for Keita to really stake his claim that he is deserving of a longer run in the team.

When did that happen?! Premier League experts will know which surprising clubs these stars once played for…

The £37.8m-rated ace can emerge from the shadows and lay down a marker, not just for this season, but for his Anfield career as a whole. When everyone is fully fit and firing, the midfielder will have a major job on his hands to convince Klopp that he is the man to trust. It is exactly why he must take his chance over the coming weeks with both hands.

Circumstances have dictated that Keita could be the man to benefit the most from Liverpool’s Henderson setback. Now it’s up to him to deliver on the goods.

Meanwhile, this is how Liverpool could line up against West Ham.

As per the division’s official site, Andre Marriner has been appointed as the referee for Wolves’ Premier League match against Brighton – and the fans are not happy…

Wolves, who have suffered some harsh marginal decisions in the Premier League this season, including a disallowed goal for handball on the opening weekend of the season at Leicester – a game reffed by Marriner.

The official is rumoured to be an Aston Villa fan given he has never referred a game (per BBC Sport), raising questions among the Wolves fanbase as to his impartiality, given the strong rivalry between the two West Midlands clubs.

That being said, Wolves’ record with Marriner as referee is not bad at all. During the 2019/20 season Wolves has won three, drawn two and lost just one match that Marriner has taken charge of. They also have a strong record when Chris Kavanagh, who will be the VAR for the Brighton game, has been in charge.

But it hasn’t stopped Wolves fans from talking conspiracy theories. Here’s what some said on Twitter…

What do you think Wolves fans? Does Marriner’s appointment make you less confident about beating Brighton? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Responding to a post by Manchester City YouTuber Esteemed Kompany , simply enquiring over whether RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann could be a suitable successor for Pep Guardiola, loads of Sky Blues have approved of the notion – with one fan in particular claiming he is ‘the man we need’. 

Nagelsmann, who has guided Leipzig to third in the Bundesliga so far this campaign, competing for their first league title alongside established German giants Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, is seen by these City fans as a real candidate to eventually replace Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

Indeed, according to France Football via Bundesliga, Nagelsmann hugely admires the Spaniard’s Barcelona team of the late 2000s to early 2010s – going on to suggest Guardiola’s past Barca side is his ‘role model’. Since signing as manager for the Blues, the ex-Bayern boss has delivered trophies galore – winning eight in total (two Premier League titles, three Carabao Cups, one FA Cup, two Community Shields).

However, given that his tenure will not last forever, these supporters have eyed the debatably perfect replacement – here’s what they had to say on Twitter.

Would you take Julian Nagelsmann as a Guardiola successor? Join the discussion by commenting below…

After enjoying an electric start to the season following his arrival from Championship side Swansea last summer, Daniel James’ form has tailed off considerably over these past few months.

The Wales international struck three times in his opening four Premier League games for Manchester United, including a strike on his top-flight debut against Chelsea. But ever since those early weeks, it has been rather downhill for the young winger – particularly in terms of delivering an end product.

Aside from his goal in the Europa League against LASK recently, James has been woefully out-of-form, failing to net once in the Premier League since August 31. Despite not having his shooting boots on, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has kept faith in the 22-year-old, but that is perhaps more of an indication of his genuine lack of options than the winger’s excellence.

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James has already played 37 games across all competitions, and with this being his first at Premier League level, he was bound to hit a brick wall, particularly after playing week-in and week-out for a while now. And that is one of the reasons why the Red Devils’ potential swoop for Leon Bailey could help him unlock his true potential.

According to The Daily Express, Chelsea are lining up an £85m move for the Bayer Leverkusen winger, and that United are ready to battle their rivals for it. If they do manage to land him ahead of the Blues, then it could have the added bonus of revitalising James.

Solskjaer would have more options to play with out wide, and rather than having to stick with James, he can bring Bailey into the team and allow the latter to rest more and find his feet again. Further to that, it could also help with the former Swansea ace going under the radar again.

When he first burst onto the scene, he was bit of an unknown entity and there may not have been much expectation on him to produce. It was no surprise that the early weeks were his most successful in a United shirt. Signing Bailey would cause opposition teams and the Red Devils themselves to focus on the Jamaican a lot more, leaving James to come in and do his damage from out of the shadows.

It’s a move that makes a sense on a lot of levels, not least the potential impact it could have on James.

Meanwhile, Man Utd must swoop for this Barcelona star.

Arsenal have struggled with goalkeepers down the years.

The likes of Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski had their critics, whilst David Ospina and even the great Petr Cech also had their moments of difficulty between the sticks for the Gunners. Now Bernd Leno is the man currently trusted with the number one shirt and, whilst he may have a 77.2% save percentage ratio this term, he still made five mistakes last season that led to goals, the joint-most in the Premier League along with Asmir Begovic.

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Wojciech Szczesny was another who failed to set the world alight in goal for Arsenal. So little was his impact, in fact, he was sold to Juventus for just €11.3m (£10m) in 2017. Since then, though, he has turned himself into one of Serie A’s top shot-stoppers.

Here, we take a look at how he is getting on.

Time at Arsenal

Szczesny cost the Gunners just £45k from Legia Warsaw in 2006. It took him a while to break into the side, with his first real taste of professional football coming with Brentford in League One, where he conceded just 29 times in 28 matches, keeping 10 clean sheets along the way.

As soon as he returned for the 2010/11 season, he worked his way into the first team, starting more matches than any other goalkeeper that season. That led to him becoming Arsene Wenger’s first-choice for the next three seasons.

However, some horror moments, such as the blunder that cost Arsenal the 2011 League Cup final against Birmingham City, obviously frustrated Wenger, which saw him displaced by Colombia international David Ospina. The Poland international was then sent out on loan to AS Roma, where he kept 22 clean sheets in 72 matches in the league. Still, that wasn’t enough to persuade Arsenal to keep him, with them deciding to move him on to the Old Lady.

Where is he now?

The 6ft 5 colossus needed to compete with Italian great Gianluigi Buffon at first when trying to nail down a starting spot at Juventus, but he still made 21 appearances in all competitions. He followed that up with 41 matches last season, including all 10 of their Champions League matches, and he is now the number one choice between the sticks at the Juventus Stadium, appearing in 26 matches this term to date.

All in all, he has shipped just 67 times in 88 outings, keeping 42 clean sheets. His save percentage rates have been stunning in the league, as well – he has numbers of 72.7%, 75.6% and a huge 84.6% in his three campaigns so far. That has already seen him win the Scudetto twice, and they were in a title race for a third before Serie A was suspended due to the current pandemic.

This has seen his Transfermarkt value rise to £36m.

Clearly, Wenger’s lack of foresight could have cost them €22m (£19.2m), which is what they spent on Leno.

The country showed its appreciation for the NHS last night with streets across the nation joining together to clap for their hard work and dedication to the current pandemic hitting the UK, and things aren’t any different for footballers as West Ham defender Aaron Cresswell got in on the action.

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His tweet showing his support has sparked a reaction from many of the Hammers faithful on social media.

The 30-year-old has been a frequent presence on the left-hand side of David Moyes’ defence all season, and it’s clear to see that he’s still a fan-favourite at the London Stadium.

Here’s how they have been reacting…

Many fans were in full agreement with Cresswell, joining in on the appreciation, claiming it was “incredible” and “superb” while one supporter told the Englishman to stay safe ahead of a potential return to action at the end of April.

Others joked about his poor attempt of a whistle, but of course, that is merely tongue in cheek given the severity of the ongoing situation. Everybody needs a bit of positivity right now.

The veteran full-back has featured 25 times in all competitions this season as the Hammers’ season has been flirting with a relegation battle for the most part.

Is life under Gold and Sullivan really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, West Ham fans…

They currently sit tied on points with AFC Bournemouth, who occupy the final spot in the drop zone, so Moyes and his team have it all do to when the Premier League gets back on track with only nine games left this campaign.

AND in other news, West Ham unlikely to sell Haller this summer says journalist…

England’s likely Test attack was forced to work hard by an impressive Queensland batting performance on day one of their final warm-up match before the first Ashes Test in Brisbane. At stumps Queensland had reached 333 for four, with Martin Love capitalising on his two successful seasons at Durham to finish unbeaten on 124.Although England were heartened by the return from injury of both Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan, both of whom were making their first appearances of the tour, they found wickets hard to come by after Queensland, one of Australia’s strongest state sides, won the toss and decided to bat.Andrew Caddick was the pick of England’s bowlers in the early stages, accounting for openers Jimmy Maher and Brendan Nash after they had put on 60 runs for the first wicket. Nash was brilliantly caught in the gully by Marcus Trescothick as he tried to cut, and Maher after making 41 from just 46 balls, guided a lifting delivery in Caddick’s next over to Mark Butcher at third slip.But it was 36 overs before England made their next breakthrough, as two players with extensive English experience, Stuart Law and Martin Love, added 133 runs Flintoff took the first of two wickets. Law, on 68, got an inside edge on to his pad as he tried to drive, for Flintoff to take a straightforward catch.Andrew Symonds then joined Love to forge another century partnership, with Symonds contributing 47 off 65 balls before Symonds, cutting at a lifting ball, edged behind to Alec Stewart. Love’s unbeaten 124 included 16 boundaries and came off 233 balls on a pitch that is ideal for batting.

After Premier League rivals Liverpool got criticised for their decision to furlough the club’s non-playing staff (something that they have now reversed), it seems Manchester United are keen to learn from the Reds’ mistake.

According to The Daily Mail, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s are unlikely to make use of the current scheme, and are “set to tell around 900 non-playing staff they will be kept on by the club on full pay with no request for government cash.”

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

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After hearing about their club’s reported stance on the matter, United fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the situation.

A couple of fans gave credit to the likes of the Ed Woodward and the Glazers for the club’s reported decision.

One United supporter meanwhile took a dig at rivals Liverpool and Spurs and insisted that this is “how a club should act”.

If this report is accurate, and it does turn out to be the case, then Solskjaer’s side should be applauded.

Both Liverpool and Tottenham have shown what not to do, and have been roundly slammed for it, and the Red Devils have simply learned from their mistakes.

Meanwhile, Man Utd would be making a foolish mistake by snubbing this star.