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Luton Town boss Mick Harford is hopeful that defender Dan Potts will return to full fitness soon, per Luton Today.

The left-back picked up an injury in the club’s 4-0 win over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.

What’s the word?

Potts made his return from a groin injury against Rovers, having been out since October.

The full-back was on the pitch for a mere 23 minutes, however, sustaining a knee injury after jumping for an aerial challenge.

Goals from Pelly Ruddock, Danny Hylton, Kazenga LuaLua and Potts’ replacement, Luke Berry, ensured that Luton took all three points and manager Harford is unsure as to the extent of Potts’ injury.

He said: “He’s twisted his knee, we don’t know the extent of the injury, we’ll let it settle down over the weekend and probably have a scan on Monday.

“We don’t know and I’m just hoping he’s fit and well, as he’s a really, really important member of the squad Pottsy, he’s so reliable.”

May have to wait to come back

Regardless of the prognosis, Potts is unlikely to come straight back into the team, such was the performance of Berry.

While normally a left-back, the former started the game in midfield and the latter excelled in the role after being introduced as a substitute.

He capped a fine display with an excellent goal and his coach even took the time to namecheck the goalscorer after the game.

Harford said: “JJ started the game very well, we’re disappointed that Pottsy got injured, but I’ve got to be honest with you, Luke Berry came on and he was magnificent.”

Potts could well recover quickly but he may have to sit on the bench for a little while longer.

أكد ممدوح عباس رئيس نادي الزمالك السابق، أن قرار لجنة التسوية والتحكيم ضد مرتضى منصور رئيس القلعة البيضاء، يقبل الطعن، وليس نهائيًا، متمنياً أنه لا يؤثر على الفريق في مباراة الرجاء بدوري الأبطال. 

لجنة التسوية والتحكيم أعلنت اليوم الأربعاء بطلان لائحة الزمالك ومن ثم عودة هاني العتال وعبد الله جورج إلى مجلس إدارة النادي مرة أخرى وبطلان عضوية أحمد مرتضى منصور. طالع التفاصيل من هنا.

وقال عباس خلال تصريحات عبر مكتبه الإعلامي: “القرار يقبل الطعن عليه من المتداخلين والجهة المحكوم ضدها وهي اللجنة الأولمبية، وهي خطوة جديدة في التقاضي يحق للطرف الآخر الاستفادة منها”.

أضاف عباس أنه لا يمكن بأي حال من الأحوال أن ينظر البعض لمباراة الزمالك المقبلة باعتبارها شماعة أو وسيلة لرفض التحركات القانونية والقضائية المكفولة بحكم القانون واللوائح المعمول بها في مصر.

طالع | وزارة الرياضة: الزمالك يحق له الطعن على قرار مركز التسوية والتحكيم

وتابع: “فريق كرة القدم الممثل في الجهاز الفني والإداري واللاعبين قادر على تحقيق المطلوب منه واستكمال مشواره القاري بعيداً عن المشاكل الإدارية الحالية والتي لم تؤثر عليه في يوم من الأيام ومضى في طريقه حتى تحقق هدفه بالوصول إلى هذه المرحلة من المنافسة على لقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

الزمالك يلاقي الرجاء، مساء الأحد المقبل، ضمن منافسات إياب دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وكان الفارس الأبيض قد فاز في مواجهة الذهاب بهدف دون رد.

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Leeds United fans have been undeterred by an injury to Liam Cooper as they have complete faith in Gaetano Berardi who looks set to start against Wigan on Friday.

Cooper limped off during the warm-up before the Sheffield Wednesday game on Saturday and the centre back remains a doubt heading into this fixture.

Easter brings about fixture congestion in the Championship and with Leeds playing on both Friday and Monday they won’t want to risk Cooper if he isn’t 100%.

Cooper has been exceptional for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this term with his performances earning him a spot in the Championship Team of the Season. The Englishman will undoubtedly be a huge miss for Leeds but luckily they have a ready-made replacement.

Berardi stepped in brilliantly last weekend as Leeds kept a clean sheet whilst beating their Yorkshire rivals 1-0.

And fans are optimistic about Berardi putting in a repeat performance against Wigan on Friday as Leeds look to continue their promotion push, with many expressing their faith in the tough-tackling Italian.

Here’s what Leeds fans are saying on Twitter…

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Leeds United fans are struggling to agree with each other about the selection headache presented to Marcelo Bielsa after Kemar Roofe was cleared to return to first-team action.

Fans have been calling for Patrick Bamford’s head after his poor performance and penalty miss against Millwall this weekend, and with Roofe cleared to return from injury before the next game Leeds fans are speculating that Bamford might not get another sniff at the first team this season.

Roofe has been one of Leeds’ most important players this season netting 14 Championship goals as the Whites battle it out for spot in the top two.

Bamford himself has shown flashes of brilliance with a brace against West Brom a particular highlight of his Leeds career.

Leeds fans have been at odds about which striker should get the nod on Twitter after Roofe was cleared to return to full training following his knee injury, which saw him miss over a month of action.

Here’s a look at how Leeds fans reacted to news of Roofe’s potential return on Twitter…

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Football.London’s Arsenal correspondent James Benge has revealed what he believes the north London outfit’s budget will be this summer with and without Champions League football, and Gunners fans have been quick to react on Twitter.

Unai Emery’s side are in real danger of missing out on a top-four finish in the Premier League following a dreadful run of recent form that has seen them lose three consecutive top-flight fixtures.

It is getting to a point where winning the Europa League may well be their best chance of appearing in Europe’s elite club competition again next term, considering they are in the semi-finals.

Benge believes that the Spanish manager will have less than £50m to spend should Arsenal miss out, but around £70m should they make their long-awaited Champions League return – all before player sales.

Gunners supporters have been quick to reply to the story via the afcstuff fan account on Twitter, and it’s fair to say that they are fuming.

One fan is happy (but very confused) after Wolves beat Arsenal in the video below…

While one said “with £50m it will be a miracle if we make top 6 next year”, another simply said “Kroenke out” to show how they are feeling right now.

It isn’t an enjoyable time to be a fan of the team from the capital as the moment, but Europa League success may change that.

Here is just a selection of the reaction…

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Leeds United fans on Twitter have been expressing their frustration after the club changed their ticket policy for the game against Aston Villa.

Leeds host Villa in their last home game of the season and tickets are likely to be in massive demand as they play at Elland Road for the final time before potential promotion to the Premier League.

The club announced on Wednesday that they are changing the ticket policy for the game against Aston Villa. Fans have been limited to buying one ticket per membership with season ticket holders unable to buy any additional tickets.

The Whites fans claim that this change will allow more paying members to be able to attend the game rather than allowing multiple tickets to be purchased by one person.

Leeds currently have 26,000 members and with only 7,000 general admission tickets available there will be a huge scramble once they go on sale for fans to secure their seats.

Unsurprisingly, fans are unhappy with this decision as for many it means they will not be able to be a part of the celebrations should Leeds be promoted on that day.

Here’s what Leeds fans have had to say on Twitter…

With Rangers desperately trying bring back the days when the Scottish Premiership title was a two-horse race, Steven Gerrard’s comments dispelling hopes of buying on-loan winger show their is still some way to go.

Ryan Kent has been a sensation since his temporary switch to Ibrox from Liverpool, and Gers fans will be extremely disappointed were he not to return in some capacity next season.

So to hear Gerrard say the club will not be able to afford to buy the player outright, will be a bitter pill for fans to swallow.

With the fee Liverpool would demand — rumoured to be around £12 million — Gerrard is still hoping to bring the player back, albeit in another loan deal, but the ball is, very much, in the Merseyside club’s court.

Gerrard told the Scottish Sun: “I think it would unlikely be a permanent move. The numbers being spoken about, I’m out.

“I would be more confident about getting him back on a loan. If Liverpool wanted to sell him, that’s out of my hands. We’ll have to wait and see.

“There are a lot of boxes ticked with him being at Rangers. Liverpool know that, Ryan and his people know that and we certainly understand that.

“We have to make sure we have an offer for Ryan.

“Our supporters need to know I’m doing everything I can to make sure he is here next year because he is one of the people I want to build the team around.”

The club may be back in the upper echelons of the top tier table now, but after the problems that beset the club from past regimes, it seems that they are still a long way from being able to compete in the transfer market for the quality of player that would see them mount a realistic title challenge.

In modern football, £12m is not an enormous fee, but that Rangers are unable to fork out those amounts, while disappointing for fans to hear, means the club are trying to manage their budget in such a way to prevent repeating mistakes of the past.

But when it comes to as player like Kent, who Gerrard publicly said he wants to build a team around, surely there has to be some way of balancing the books and still be able to back the manager with, what he sees as, a key signing.

The opportunity to win the Premiership title, and the riches that a subsequent Champion’s League qualification could bring, would far outway the initial £12m outlay on Kent.

So maybe there should be some semblance of speculating to accumulate, rather than simply going through the motions year upon year, while watching your neighbours rack up trophy after trophy.

What do you think of the current financial situation at Ibrox, Rangers fans? Should they start to be more ambitious in the transfer market? Let us know…

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Liverpool would be interested in signing Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves according to the club’s assistant manager, Pep Lijnders, per O Jogo.

The Portugal international has been in excellent form for the club this season, scoring four goals and laying on three assists in all competitions prior to this weekend as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have consistently flirted with the top-seven.

And Lijnders told the Portuguese outlet: “I know him very well, his ambition, his passion for the game, his professionalism. I know what he gives to the team and this type of player always interests us. I recognised him when I saw him at Wolves. I saw technique, professionalism. I saw the 2013-14 player I knew.”

With the transfer window approaching, Football FanCast considers the potential consequences of Neves moving to Anfield this summer. Take a look below!

Henderson phased out

Jordan Henderson is a limited but experienced and passionate midfielder.

The England international had played 35 games in all competitions this season before the weekend but manager Jurgen Klopp already appears to be preparing for the day that the 28-year-old leaves the club.

Prior to Sunday’s clash with Chelsea, he had completed 90 minutes in the Premier League just ten times.

Signing Neves would only see those opportunities limited further.

It is unlikely that Fabinho or Naby Keita would be dropped for Neves, and would likely play alongside him in a 4-3-3.

The obvious casualty, then, is Henderson.

Another transfer record broken

Pep Guardiola can’t afford Neves.

That’s Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, the club with all the money in the world.

Wolves have reportedly placed an asking price of £110million on the jewel in their current crown.

Guardiola replied thus, per the London Evening Standard: “A month ago, I started reading – ‘Ruben Neves, £100m. That is not going to happen, we are not going to pay £100m for a holding midfielder.”

Liverpool might.

They broke the world transfer record for a goalkeeper when they signed Alisson Becker and did the same with a defender when they secured Virgil van Dijk from Southampton. The highest current transfer fee for a midfielder is Paul Pogba – who cost Manchester United £89m. The top three transfers of all time – Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to PSG and Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus – all involved attackers.

Liverpool could well break the record for a midfielder if they convince Neves to move to Anfield.

A lack of dynamism

Despite the potentially extortionate price, would Neves really change all that much?

Liverpool’s current problem in midfield is a lack of attacking thrust. Fabinho, Keita and Henderson, plus Georginio Wijnaldum, are all exceptional water-carriers and travel with the ball well. But they all lack the ability to score or create regularly.

Fabinho, Keita and Henderson had all scored once this term, Wijnaldum twice, before the weekend.

Neves had scored just four goals heading into this gameweek and, while he has a penchant for the spectacular, he would not solve the issue.

He would surely add something, of course he would, but spending £100m on a player who will not truly take the team to the next level is not the kind of strategy Klopp should be employing this summer.

أعرب الدولي الكونغولي آرثر ماسوكو مدافع فريق وست هام، عن خيبة أمله بعد الخسارة التي تلقاها فريقه أمام ليفربول، ضمن الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ماسوكو تسبب في ركلة جزاء لـ محمد صلاح مهاجم ليفربول، والتي سجل منها نجمنا المصري، هدف الريدز الأول في المباراة بعدما كان الهامرز متقدم في النتيجة.

طالع أيضًا.. مدافع وست هام: ركلة جزاء محمد صلاح غير مستحقة.. ولكن!

وكتب ماسوكو على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “نتيجة مخيبة للآمال بعد بداية جيدة في الدوري الإنجليزي حتى الآن”.

وأضاف: “ما زلت غاضبًا بعض الشيء من نفسي لما حدث، ولكن على أي حال، يحيا وست هام”.

وست هام بعد الخسارة أمام ليفربول، توقف رصيد الفريق عند 8 نقاط في المركز الثالث عشر.

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Arsenal will play Valencia this Thursday in the Europa League semi-final, just one year after they faced Atletico Madrid in the same round. Spanish opposition, European semi final and sitting outside the top four… so what’s changed for Arsenal in the last year?

The Chalkboard

Unai Emery took over for Arsene Wenger, who stepped down after 22 years in charge. Wenger’s departure came after leading Arsenal to a second successive finish outside the top four, but for the first time in his tenure, the Gunners were evidently in decline, losing ground on their rivals.

Emery arrived as a breath of fresh air. He was described as “meticulous”, “intense”, and “demanding”, leaving Arsenal fans rightly very excited about the prospect of the Spaniard.

Emery was given a modest budget in his first summer transfer window, and has used it to bring in first team stars Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, who have all enjoyed a successful first season at the club.

The remit was to get the Gunners back into the Champions League either via top four qualification or by winning the Europa League, which Emery has won three times prior.

One fan is happy (but very confused) after Wolves beat Arsenal in the video below…

So, have they improved?

Premier League statistics are the best measure for improvement; Arsenal in 2017-18 scored 74 goals, conceded 51 goals and kept 13 clean sheets. This season, with two games still to play, the Gunners have scored 69 goals, conceded 51 goals and kept eight clean sheets. Despite very similar statistics, Emery’s side have already bettered last season’s points tally of 63 by three with games still to play.

Despite concerns about away form Arsenal are still in a top four race, contrary to last year, and the ex-PSG boss has certainly got his side competing with their rivals. They’ve beaten Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea at the Emirates while drawing with Liverpool and losing just to Manchester City.

The results and performances against the big six are the best indication of improvement under Emery, no matter what the stats say. It’s a lot easier to fix poor results against the mid-table sides, as proven by Liverpool this season, who also found those fixtures to be their achilles heel for many years.

What’s most encouraging is that Arsenal no longer get bullied by sides with more investment and squad depth and are able to stand up to their rivals when facing them one-on-one. Wenger was always capable of delivering a good result against these sides, but the consistency in the high level of performance under Emery during these games is incredibly encouraging, and puts Arsenal in good stead for the semi-final.

Yes they’ve improved, and the signings have done very well to raise Arsenal’s level in big matches, but the squad isn’t good enough to sustain this form over a whole season.

The Gunners are enduring an end of season implosion which is somewhat skewing the results, with three defeats in a row and nine goals conceded in those games dragging Emery’s good work through mud. Still, it’s clear that the North Londoners have improved, and they’ll fancy themselves to go one step further in Europe this year by making the final.