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Njabulo Ngcobo will not be sold to any of Swallows FC's PSL rivals, Birds chairman David Mogashoa has been reported as saying.

Ngcobo has been one of the stand-out players in the league this season and has played all 17 league matches for Swallows.

In what is his first season playing in the top-flight, the no-nonsense centre-back has caught the eye with a series of outstanding performances and he has helped his team enjoy the second-best defensive record in the league with just 12 conceded in 17 matches.

There has been no direct link with Kaizer Chiefs to date, but he would certainly fit the profile of a Gavin Hunt player in terms of his competitive nature, and at 26-years-old, Ngcobo is still one for the future.

In addition, according to the report in the Daily Sun, "It has come to light that Kaizer Chiefs are eyeing his talent."

However, Swallows chairman Mogashoa told the publication the player has recently extended his contract.

“The contract has been extended for another two years,” Mogashoa was quoted saying.

“Remember, when he joined us we included a two-year option on his contract, and the option was activated last month. You know we had to do it before the end of May.”

Mogashoa is optimistic that when Ngcobo's next move comes, it's overseas rather than to a PSL rival.

“I think he’s got a lot of potential and I don’t think he’ll be around South Africa in the next three years,” aid Mogashoa.

“I think in the next two years he’ll be going overseas.”

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has predicted a path to stardom for Richarlison, who will try to advance his three-match scoring streak for the Toffees on Thursday at West Brom.

Ancelotti has worked with many of Europe's best players over the course of his coaching career and sees the Brazilian's attacking versatility as comparable to that elite talent.

But the boss has emphasized that Richarlison must clean up his technical skills to stand above other strikers on the continent.

What has Ancelotti said of Richarlison?

"Richarlison is a modern striker, a complete striker, because he works really hard," Ancelotti told reporters this week.

"His physical statistics are really high, like a midfielder - but he has speed and he is really clinical in the box.

"He is fantastic with the head and clinical in front of the goalkeeper and his movement without the ball is really good. 

"I think he can be one of the top strikers in Europe. I'm sure he can because he has all these kind of qualities and he has not a specific position on the pitch. He is really complete.

"Where he has to improve is with his technical ability, and he can improve, controlling the ball and this and that but his movement without the ball is really top and his positioning in the box is of a high standard. 

"His level will go up in the Champions League [if we qualify]. It would be a fantastic experience."

Richarlison's recent form

Last month was one of the best of the 23-year-old's career. He scored five times in all competitions in February and has netted in each of his past three league appearances.

That takes him to 11 goals in all competitions this season.

At stake for Everton

The Toffees would leap into third place in the Premier League with a win over West Brom on Thursday and hold a game in hand over the three clubs remaining clubs above them.

Further reading

When Chelsea thought their goalkeeping situation couldn’t get worse after their 5-3 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield at the backend of last season, there was further reason to worry after both sides faced off earlier this season.

One incident on the night of the Reds’ coronation summed up Kepa Arrizabalaga’s troubles in West London:  the Spaniard was strangely rooted to his line following Andrew Robertson’s 92nd-minute free-kick into the box when the smart move was to rush out to claim the ball.

Given the absence of fans, the vociferous ‘Kepaaa!’ shouts from some Chelsea players in the penalty area at the time was striking. A low-on-confidence goalkeeper was too petrified to claim a cross into his zone and was quite fortunate Virgil van Dijk didn’t score Liverpool’s sixth after connecting at the back post.

Having lost faith in the former Athletic Club shot-stopper, Frank Lampard dropped the 26-year-old for their all-important final day clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge with Champions League qualification on the line. The Blues won that game 2-0 and Willy Caballero continued in goal in the FA Cup final defeat by Arsenal and CL round of 16 second-leg thrashing by Bayern Munich.

Despite rife rumours over his immediate future, Kepa was restored for the start of this campaign with other positions prioritised in the summer. However, allowing a tame Leandro Trossard effort to creep underneath him resurrected doubts about the sport’s most expensive goalkeeper.

Still, Lampard kept faith in the goalie until another clanger in their 2-0 defeat by Liverpool at Stamford Bridge the following week sealed his fate under the ex-England international.

In fairness, Chelsea were already up against it after Andreas Christensen saw red for a professional foul in the first half, but what the West Londoners could ill-afford was another inexcusable error from their then-number one.

When Sadio Mane intercepted a Kepa pass into Jorginho in the 54th minute to send Jurgen Klopp’s team 2-0 up, Lampard had seen enough, and the purchase of Edouard Mendy from Stade Rennais was fast-tracked.

11 Premier League clean sheets later, the Senegal goalkeeper’s impact at Cobham has been solid if unspectacular and has notably outdone Kepa’s eight league shut-outs from 2019/20 with 12 games to play.

While the Blues’ cohesive defensive structure during the fine run under Lampard (early October to the start of December) and so far under Tuchel have protected the West African far better than the club legend’s tactics last term ever did, Mendy’s slightly superior all-round game will suffice at the Bridge for the time being.

He’d teased his decent shot-stopping and inclination to come off his line to claim crosses on his debut in the EFL Cup defeat by Tottenham Hotspur which got some of the club’s supporters on side, before following that up with an impressive performance to thwart Manchester United as it ended goalless at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old made four saves at the Theatre of Dreams in October but the three to deny Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford (twice) particularly stood out. Even though Mendy made the same number of stops on Sunday, none of United’s efforts except Scott McTominay’s on the hour mark troubled the towering Senegalese for 90 minutes.

Returning to Anfield with a different man between the sticks could be to the West London side’s advantage, especially given the form of the Reds since December. A section of Chelsea supporters will remember both meetings between the sides last season in which Lampard’s men arguably looked better in London and on Merseyside, only to fall to 2-1 and 5-3 defeats respectively.

That loss on Liverpool’s big night in July perhaps hurt even more due to Lampard’s troops creating better chances.

They edged the expected goals 2.38-1.45 but somehow managed to concede five times to Klopp’s team. In West London, the Blues edged the xG 1.2-0.9.

The outgoing PL champions were outdoing expectations by a lot at the time, however, so Tuchel’s team won’t be facing a team in supreme goalscoring form or one with an impressive run at Anfield.

Losing to Burnley after 58 games is one thing, falling to defeats in their next three on home turf is worrying, and the Merseyside club will look to avoid a fifth straight home reverse when Chelsea visit.

While Mendy has shown he’s fallible between the sticks, his confidence, superior shot-stopping ability and the greater defensive strength of this Blues iteration mean there's a possibility Tuchel's side could extend Klopp’s Anfield malaise and hand the London club their first league victory on Merseyside in almost seven years.

Al Jazira forward Ali Mabkhout has been nominated by AFC (AsianFootball Confederation) for the title of Player of the Month in the West Asian Leagues for February. The winner will be decided by the fans who can vote for their favourite player. 

Mabkhout has nominated along with some big names like former Arsenal player Santi Cazorla (Al Sadd), Argentina international Ever Banega (Al Shabab FC), former Swansea City striker Bafetimbi Gomis (Al-Hilal), Al-Riffa's Mohamed Marhoon, Muhammad Marmur (Tishreen), Hammadi Ahmed (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya), Khaldoun Al-Helman (Al-Khalil), Ala Al-Din Daly (Al-Arabi).

Mabkhout was in a rich vein of form throughout the month of February for his side Al-Jazira. He scored nine goals and provided three assists in just four matches in the Arabian Gulf League. 

In the first match in February, he scored a hat-trick against Al Dhafra in a 5-1 out. All the goals came in the second half and took just 21 minutes to strike thrice. Mabkhout followed it up with another hat-trick, this time against Al-Ittihad Kalba. Riding on his three goals, Al-Jazira won the match with a mammoth scoreline of 6-0. 

In the next-match against Bani Yas, he continued his scoring streak and netted the second goal of the match which turned out to be a vital one as the match ended 3-3. 

However, his best performance came against then-league leaders Sharjah FC. He gave a tough time to the opposition center backs Hamad Jassim and Shahin Abdulrahman with his skill and guile. He scored two goals which helped Al-Jazira win the match 3-0 and also displace The Kings from the top spot. 

Mabkhout is expected to face stiff competition from Al-Hilal forward Gomis who has racked up seven goals in February. He scored a poker against Al-Ain, a brace against Al Ittifaq and added another to the tally against Al Fateh. 

Whereas, Cazorla scored an injury-time winner for Al Sadd against Al-Arabi and Al Shabab's Banega has three goals and four assists to his name. 

FC Goa forward Ishan Pandita hopes to play a staring role in the semi-finals against Mumbai City and hopes to lift the Indian Super League (ISL) in his very first season in India. 

Nearly every time Goa coach Juan Ferrando has been asked by journalists so as to why he doesn't reward the youngster with more game time for the four goals he has scored with the best conversion rate in the league. The Spanish coach has always insisted that Ishan needs to learn more about the 'small details'.

"If I decide to use Ishan as a substitute it's because it's our plan. Small details are very important and it's important that he's learning. It's not only about goals. It's necessary to learn about the press and timings, [what we do] when we don't have possession," the coach had explained earlier in the season.

How does Ishan respond to the claim?

"The only way I can touch upon this point is that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do in training. I'm definitely giving my all and fit into the system that he (Ferrando) wants to play. Hopefully, he sees that I'm improving and doing enough to get a position in the starting 11," Pandita explained in a chat with Goal.

Pandita, who plied his trade at Spanish fourth division, believes that the standard of the Indian Super League has gone up by several notches over the years.

Having returned to India after moving to Spain in 2014, he said, "Football is the best in Europe. Everyone knows that, and I've been lucky enough to play at some good levels in Spain with very good players. All I can say is, ISL is improving a lot. It's grown heavily from the first season to what it is now. The ISL is attracting good, talented players from good leagues from all over the world, and I see a lot of scope for improvement and growth in the country."

Trade clubs for a place in the first 11?

Given his performance with regard to the goals he has delivered this season, under pressure situations in the dying minutes, will a promise for a first 11 spot tempt Ishan to move to another club?

"On contract, I'm an FC Goa player but like any other player who wants to play, I'm at the beginning of my career. I'm very hungry to perform and show myself. I've not played anything at all here. All I can think about at this moment is trying to help my team and hopefully, we can go past Mumbai and win the ISL.

"I want to be on the field 24x7. I want to play the 90 of the 90 (minutes). But I'm not the coach. I'm just another player in the team and whenever the coach feels, I'm ready to be on the field. Whenever I deserve it, I'll be ready. I'm always hungry and if the team and the coach need me, I'm ready to put in my best," Pandita maintained.

Ask Ishan where he envisions himself five years from now, the words he would return would be, "Probably playing in a top division in Europe would be nice."

Further reading:

Sevilla were devastated for their fans after being stunned by a second defeat to Barcelona in a week, the latest loss preventing an appearance in the Copa del Rey final.

Moments from beating the Blaugrana on Tuesday, they conceded a last-second stoppage time equalizer to Gerard Pique and an extra time winner to Martin Braithwaite. Lucas Ocampos had earlier missed a penalty that could have prevented the late drama.

Now out of the Copa del Rey and 10 points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, Sevilla must regroup from an outcome midfielder Joan Jordan admitted was heartbreaking for supporters.

What did Sevilla say about the defeat?

"We experienced the most crushing feeling in football conceding with the last kick of the ball," manager Julen Lopetegui said.

"We have lived the bitter face of football, to be deprived of a final for which we have worked a lot in the last play of the game. We have to swallow poison."

Added Jordan: "We are really hurt. We feel so bad for all of our fans. We could have won it with the penalty."

What comes next for Sevilla?

Beyond trying to finish in the top four of La Liga, Sevilla will pin their 2020-21 hopes to their last-16 Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on March 9. If they successfully overturn a 3-2 aggregate deficit, then the Barcelona meltdown might sting slightly less.

Further reading

When City Football Group (CFG) took control of Indian Super League (ISL) club Mumbai City in November 2019, they several key decisions to make. 

One of them was to appoint a head coach who can bring them success. They had Jorge Costa in charge at that time the results during the 2019-20 season just didn't help his case as the club finished fifth in the standings. 

Mumbai City went for Sergio Lobera, who was relieved of his duties by FC Goa with three games to go in the league stage of the 2019-20 ISL season.

FC Goa comfortably won the League Winners Shield by topping the league and becoming the first Indian club to qualify for the AFC Champions League (ACL) group stage with a five-point lead over the second-placed team.

Lobera deserves credit for what he did with FC Goa to make them one of the most formidable teams in Indian football who are pleasing to the eye when they play football. Mumbai City decided to go for the Spaniard after FC Goa parted ways with the coach and after just 20 ISL matches as the Islanders head coach, Lobera has delivered the team's first title - the 2020-21 League Winners Shield. 

Mumbai City provided Lobera with everything he needs. Lobera had the freedom to build a strong squad that is capable of winning titles. But it was also a lot of pressure for the head coach who is spearheading CFG's project in India in their first full season. 

Lobera calmly worked his way through any challenge that he faced and at one point, went 12 games in a row without defeat. While he had an enviable foreign task force at his disposal, the coach also utilized his Indian talents to great effect. The likes of Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Rowllin Borges and Bipin Singh have elevated their game to a new level this season. 

The Islanders lost their first game of the season before going on an excellent run. Their next dip in form only arrived towards the end of the season when they picked up one win in six matches with two games remaining in the league stage. Lobera's team was able to overcome that challenge as well, beating Odisha 6-1 in the penultimate round before beating ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 in the final league game to clinch the top spot and the silverware. 

Mumbai City management wanted to win the league title while playing an attractive brand of football that has become synonymous with Manchester City and Sergio Lobera has done just that. And despite having a strong squad available to him, he has had to navigate challenges.

By winning the League Winners Shield, they became the first CFG-owned side to win a league title in the very first year of their association with the group which has a roster of 11 football clubs. They chose to bring in Sergio Lobera as the head coach of the team and the move really paid off. 

The FC Goa duo of Alexander Romario and Glan Martins have been the silent protagonists for the club in the ongoing edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).

Romario has been involved in five of Goa’s 31 goals this season. He has scored one and assisted four goals. The only Indian to have more assists than Romario this season is Odisha FC's Jerry Mawihmingthanga (5).

Overall, only five players have registered more assists than the two-time I-League winner. Romario boasts of a passing accuracy of 73.8 per cent in the opponent's half, with155 of his 210 passes successful in that region. The 24-year-old also has played an impressive 42 passes into the box (including crosses).

Romario came off the bench to provide an assist for the equaliser in the club's first game of the season (2-2 draw against Bengaluru) and started on the bench for another two games, after which FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando found it hard to keep him out of his first XI.

"Romario is very good and he understands about the high press very well. He works a lot in defence (as well). When we are in positional attack, he knows about (how to exploit) the free spaces and he understands the timings. In my opinion, he has a lot of talent and it's necessary to put his talent in Goa's favour," the coach had admitted of the player earlier this season.

Just like Romario plying his trade in the ISL for the very first time this season, Glan Martins have been an immediate impact at the club thanks to the January transfer swap with Lenny Rodrigues going to ATK Mohun Bagan.

Not that Lenny was any less of an influence than Glan in the Goan side's midfield. But  ever since joining Goa from the Kolkatan outfit on February 1, the latter has appeared in six games and has scored one goal that came against Mumbai City during their 3-3 draw. The former Churchill Brothers midfielder also has one assist to his name.

In the matches Glan Martins has played for Goa since his arrival on February 2, the Gaurs have averaged two goals per game; without him they average 1.4 goals per game. FC Goa also have a slightly better points-per-game ratio with Martins playing (1.7) in the team than without him (1.5).

Defensively as well, the 26-year-old has is just two tackles short of Romario (56) with six fewer appearances to his name and only six of them with FC Goa. 

Ferrando not too long ago claimed that, "With Princeton and Glan, I think I'm very happy with this team after the winter window. Glan and Princeton for me are the best number 6 (pair) in the Indian Super League."

The statistics used in this article have been aided by Opta .

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was delighted to see his charges come back in thrilling fashion to reach the Copa del Rey final - but warned that overcoming Paris Saint-Germain is a different prospect entirely. 

The Catalans went into Wednesday's semi-final second leg against Sevilla as rank outsiders after losing the opener 2-0, but they fought back with goals from Ousmane Dembele and a last-gasp Gerard Pique effort to send the match into extra time. 

Martin Braithwaite then struck to win the semi-final tie 3-2 on aggregate - and raise hopes that the 4-1 defeat PSG inflicted on the Blaugrana might yet be reversed. 

What was said? 

"It's easier to come back from 2-0 than to come back from 1-4," Koeman told reporters after the final whistle. 

"PSG have a great team and great players. We will start the game to win, to see if there is a chance to go through.

"I'm so proud of my team. I can't ask for more, really. We have changed the mindset of the team.

"I wish we had lived it with 100,000 people at the Camp Nou … I hope that some Catalans can come to the final in Seville."

A second 'Remontada'?

Barca, of course, have prior experience of bouncing back from a seemingly impossible position to prevail against the French giants. 

In 2017, Luis Enrique's charges looked dead and buried when they succumbed to a 4-0 thrashing at Parc des Princes in the last-16 first leg. 

At Camp Nou in the return match, the Catalans moved within a single goal only to see Edinson Cavani strike to make it 3-1, leaving them needing three goals in just half an hour to progress. 

But in one of the most scintillating finishes to a match in Champions League history, Neymar netted twice and Sergi Roberto popped up in the 95th minute to send Barca through with a 6-1 victory, winning 6-5 on aggregate. 

That clash has gone down in club history as 'La Remontada' (The Comeback), although Barca's joy ultimately proved short-lived as they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Juventus. 

PSG and Barca complete their tie on March 10 at Parc des Princes.

Further reading 

Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted he could stop Bruno Fernandes from representing Portugal in World Cup qualifiers later this month. 

Due to UK government coronavirus restrictions, should he report for international duty Fernandes would be forced to quarantine for 10 days upon returning.

That would force the United playmaker to miss two key matches – an outcome Solskjaer is keen to avoid. 

What has been said?

Speaking after United's 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Solskjaer said: "We've not sat down and made a proper call on that one but it doesn't make sense if you lose your player for 10 days of isolation, of course it doesn't.

"We're the ones paying the players and from what I understand FIFA have given the rules that they don't have to be released.

"So I would think that's going to be a hard call to make to let them go and play in red list countries, yeah.

"I want Bruno of course, ready against Brighton and hopefully that we are through in Europe and against Tottenham after that break, of course I do."

What games could Bruno miss?

Portugal are set to face Azerbaijan on March 24 and Serbia on March 27. 

With Portugal on the UK's red list of travel ban countries, Fernandes would be forced to miss United’s Premier League games against Brighton on April 3 and Tottenham on April 10 should he travel for international duty.

How important is Bruno to Man Utd?

Solskjaer's team have come to rely heavily on the Portugal star, who has helped the club to a second-place spot in the Premier League. 

The playmaker has 22 goals and 13 assists for United this season in all competitions. 

Further reading

Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would not discuss the reasons for David de Gea's absence after his side's dull 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

Solskjaer said before the game that De Gea was left out due to "personal reasons," with Dean Henderson given the start in Wednesday's match at Selhurst Park.

Henderson would make a key save late to preserve a point, denying Patrick van Aanholt in the game's dying moments. 

What was said?

Asked about De Gea's absence from the squad prior to the game, Solskjaer would only tell MUTV: "That's personal reasons."

After the match Solskjaer would not be drawn on any more details. Asked by Sky Sports when De Gea would return, he said: "That’s a private matter. It’ll take the time it takes."

Solskjaer added that he was happy with Henderson's performance, saying: "That’s a Man Utd goalkeeper, sometimes you have to keep concentrating. He’s growing in that position. I thank him for one point and not zero."

What was said about the game?

United midfielder Nemanja Matic was frustrated with the result, which was United's third scoreless draw in a row.

“We are Manchester United, we have to win this kind of game," Matic told Sky Sports. "On Sunday we have a big game against Manchester City. We have to refocus for that.

“When we don’t win we are frustrated. The feeling in the dressing room wasn’t great. If we need to take some positives, it’s a clean sheet.”

Will Henderson get a run of games?

After a successful loan spell at Sheffield United last season, Henderson returned to Old Trafford aiming to win the club's starting goalkeeper spot. 

De Gea, however, has managed to hold on to the club's starting role, despite some calling for the England international to get more playing time. 

Wednesday marked Henderson's fourth Premier League start of the season, and the 23-year-old could now have a chance to stake his claim as the team's starter.

He could be set to start on Sunday in the Manchester derby, with Pep Guardiola's side having won an incredible 21 straight games in all competitions.

Further reading

Mikel Arteta has complained about Tottenham's Europa League scheduling shift in the same breath he said Arsenal would make no excuses in the North London Derby on March 14.

Spurs' first leg against Dinamo Zagreb three days before the derby was initially supposed to take place in Croatia but has been since moved by UEFA to London. The Gunners, meanwhile, will travel to Greece to face Olympiacos.

Arteta called the change unfair because it lets Tottenham get extra rest at home while his own side must fly back from European action.

What did Arteta say?

“Unfortunately it’s not going to change," Arteta told reporters. "We can raise our voices and we should do that because we want to have two teams playing in equal conditions.

“But the decision has been made and that’s it. I don’t want to use one bit of excuse going towards that game saying ‘oh, they have an advantage’. So no, probably I will use that to take it in our advantage. And that’s it.”

Why was Tottenham's Europa fixture moved?

UEFA rules forbid clubs from the same city to host Europa League matches on the same day. If both Arsenal and Tottenham had been away in their first legs, they would have then been in London simultaneously to complete their respective ties. The fixture change splits them up to prevent that outcome.

Further reading

Moses Simon’s opener was not enough to help Nantes end their awful Ligue 1 home run as they suffered a 2-1 loss against Reims on Wednesday night.

The Canaries are without a win at the Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau since their 3-1 victory over Brest in a league match which dates back to October 18.

Simon opened the scoring for the hosts with his header in the 14th minute, thanks to Pedro Chirivella's cross.

The goal was the Nigeria international’s fourth effort after 23 Ligue 1 matches so far this season. He is now three goals away from equalling his best goalscoring record in a league season having scored seven goals at Gent (2014-15) and Trencin (2013-14).

Towards the end of the first-half, Ivory Coast defender Ghislain Konan scored the equaliser for Reims in the 39th minute and Morocco centre-back Younis Abdelhamid scored a late match-winning goal that gave the visitors maximum points in the 89th minute.

Simon played for 81 minutes before he was replaced by Kader Bamba. A hosts of African players were also in action in Nantes, which include Senegal's Boulaye Dia, Zimbabwe's Marshall Munetsi, Cameroon's Jean-Charles Castelletto amongst others.

Wednesday’s defeat left Nantes 19th in the relegation zone with 24 points from 28 matches while Reims climbed to 12th with 34 points after the same number of games.

Simon will be aiming to inspire Nantes to victory when they visit second-placed Paris Saint-Germain for their next Ligue 1 outing on March 14.

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool would find it harder to attract players this summer if they were to miss out on Champions League qualification.

The Reds, European champions in 2019 and Premier League winners last season, know they face a battle to secure a top-four finish this time around.

Heading into Thursday’s crunch clash with Chelsea at Anfield, Liverpool sit sixth in the table, and a defeat against Thomas Tuchel’s side would leave them four points adrift of the Champions League spots.

A win, however, would take them above West Ham and into the final qualification place.

What’s been said?

Klopp told reporters on Friday: “The main reason for qualifying for the Champions League is always financial. It is a great competition to play in but for the club it’s about [finances].

“Sure, you want to excite some players. In the beginning we were sitting with some players who had offers from clubs who played in the Champions League and it was like ‘ok, sorry, we can only offer nothing or Europa League!’

“But apart from that it’s always about finances. This year there is no difference, I would say. I hope people still see we do our absolute best and try everything to make it happen, but we will see how it will end up.

“It is not that the owners called me and said ‘if you don’t qualify for the Champions League then this or that will happen’, because we are all together. We all understand the situation. They know we try absolutely everything to qualify for the Champions League again, that’s clear.”

What will Liverpool look to do this summer?

There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Liverpool’s transfer plans, with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic still being felt across the football world.

The Reds’ reluctance to spend big was seen in January, when they opted not to pursue a top-level centre-back, instead securing the signing of Ben Davies for a modest fee from Preston while loaning Ozan Kabak from Schalke.

Whether that loan is made permanent or not in the summer remains to be seen. Liverpool would have to pay around £15 million (€18m) to do so, and they will almost certainly need to bring in a centre-back in order to avoid a repeat of this season.

A new midfielder will also be required if, as expected, Gini Wijnaldum departs on a free transfer. Florian Neuhaus of Borussia Monchengladbach has been linked strongly, while there is interest in Brighton’s Yves Bissouma and the brilliant Lyon playmaker Hossam Aouar, among others.

Exits are expected, with Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri, Harry Wilson, Sheyi Ojo and Marko Grujic all available, and it would be a surprise if the club did not seek to bring in at least one new attacker, given the age profile of their front three and the struggles of Roberto Firmino, in particular, this season.

Further reading

Mostafa Mohamed was shown his first career red card as Galatasaray suffered a 2-1 defeat against Ankaragucu in a Turkish Super Lig encounter on Wednesday.

 The 23-year-old was given a straight red card in the 57th minute and Kerem Akturkoglu's stoppage-time goal could not stop Fatih Terim's men from conceding their first league loss since January 17 (2-0 defeat vs. Besiktas).

The Egypt international who scored a brace against BB Erzurumspor on Saturday, could not add to his tally of six goals in seven matches since he joined Galatasaray on loan from Zamalek last month.

Also in action at the Eryaman Stadium were Nigeria internationals Henry Onyekuru and Oghenekaro Etebo while the former was replaced by Algeria’s Sofiane Feghouli in the 79th minute.

Despite the result, Galatasaray remain at the top of the Super Lig table level on 57 points with Besiktas who have a game in hand.

In his reaction, Galatasaray president Mustafa Cengiz described Mostafa Mohamed's sending off as an "embarrassment to football".

“The red card shown by the referee on the field is a cause of embarrassment! Go home and see, the man does not even see,” Cengiz told the club website.

“Normally, human beings raise their arms to get power from the ground, you run in a ready state, they laugh at the man. They wanted Mostafa Mohamed to take the ball in a standby state. The player from Ankaragucu comes, he puts his head very professionally, then he grabs the cloth as if his lip burst, he takes the cloth out, there is no blood.

“This does not happen! Do not do this! We really congratulate Ankaragucu but these are not needed. Set an example for youth. Be moral as our ancestor said! I say this for some footballers.

“I am never saying about the Ankaragucu community. As you know, I am from Ankara. Ankaragucu is one of my sympathetic teams, and it shouldn't have been in this case either. But the financial circumstances made it this way.”