SALAH REPLACEMENT FOUND? JARROD BOWEN TIPPED TO SNUB REAL MADRID'S RODRYGO FOR LIVERPOOL
Is Mo Salah leaving? Andy Townsend backs Jarrod Bowen to replace the legend at Liverpool over Real Madrid’s unsettled Rodrygo.
Andy Townsend thinks West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen would be a way better pick to replace Mohamed Salah than Rodrygo from Real Madrid, and he’s sure Bowen would jump at the chance. Last year, Liverpool looked at Rodrygo after Luis Díaz left for Bayern Munich. Arsenal and Man City showed interest, too.
For a while, it seemed Rodrygo might land in the Premier League. He wasn’t getting much time on the pitch with Xabi Alonso in charge at Real. But after the summer window closed, Rodrygo made it clear he wanted to stick around in Madrid.
Still, Townsend sees Bowen as the more realistic option. With Salah possibly nearing the end of his Liverpool run, Arne Slot is already shaping a squad that can chase trophies in the coming years.
Talking to BOYLE Sports, Townsend put it simply: “Who can Liverpool bring in to take Salah’s place next season? I think Jarrod Bowen would do very well for Liverpool.
“I don’t really get the Rodrygo rumours. Sure, if you play for Real Madrid, you’ve got serious talent, but I’ve never seen him as a Galactico.
“Bowen would absolutely go to Liverpool and be a real danger for them on the right. They’d have Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike, and Jarrod Bowen.
“They give you pace, energy, goals, and a real end product. That’s a front line with everything you want.
Liverpool has to look at Bowen because, honestly, I can’t see Salah staying past this summer. Whatever’s going on at Anfield, it’s knocked some of the wind out of Mo’s sails.
“Maybe it’s a relationship thing; maybe it’s just age. Whatever it is, he’s not going to keep up those numbers forever.
“It looks like Mo’s running out of steam, and there’s no shame in that. It’s football. It happens.
“His best days are behind him, and they need to move on.”
Salah’s been Liverpool’s main man for eight seasons straight, always the top scorer, but this year he’s slowed down a bit.
He’s only scored four Premier League goals in 16 games, plus two more in seven Champions League matches. That’s a noticeable drop from what he usually delivers.
Since joining from Roma in June 2017, Salah has racked up 252 goals in 428 games for Liverpool, putting himself among the club’s all-time legends.
SUNDERLAND CONDEMNS "VILE" RACIST ABUSE AIMED AT BRIAN BROBBEY AFTER SPURS WIN
Brian Brobbey targeted online! Sunderland and the Premier League unite against "vile" discrimination after Spurs win.
Sunderland called out the racist abuse aimed at Brian Brobbey on social media and made it clear they stand fully behind him.
Brobbey was targeted online right after Sunderland’s 1-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. On Monday, the club released a statement: “Sunderland condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist abuse directed at Brian Brobbey on social media following Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham. We stand firmly with Brian and offer him our full and unwavering support.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Sunderland players have had to deal with this kind of abuse this season. After February’s match against Fulham, Romaine Mundle received hateful messages online, and last month the Tyne-Wear derby had to be paused when someone in the crowd reportedly aimed abuse at Lutsharel Geertruida.
The club’s statement continued: “This isn’t an isolated event. The recent abuse aimed at Romaine Mundle and Lutsharel Geertruida shows just how often and how unacceptably this keeps happening, both at matches and on the internet. We’ve reported this latest incident to the Premier League, the social media platforms, and the police, and we expect them to act quickly against the people responsible. Racism is vile, and it doesn’t belong in football or anywhere else. We’ll keep calling it out, clearly and without hesitation, every time it happens. Football should be safe and welcoming for everyone, no exceptions.”
The Premier League is backing Brobbey as well. In a post on their X account, they said they’re “disgusted by the ongoing discrimination” players keep facing online. “We stand alongside Sunderland in strongly condemning the online racist abuse Brian Brobbey has received and have offered our full support to him and the club. We are disgusted by the ongoing discrimination players are facing on social media and are committed to working with clubs, authorities, law enforcement, and social media companies to address this issue, as well as supporting investigations to bring those responsible to justice.
Anyone found guilty of discrimination will face the toughest possible punishments: jail time, football bans, and even a criminal record.”
DAVID MOYES REVEALS "NERVES" AS EVERTON HUNT HISTORIC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION SPOT
David Moyes admits Everton's Champions League hunt is nerve-wracking. See the latest on the Toffees' battle for Europe.
David Moyes admits the idea of Everton making the Champions League this soon in their rebuild actually makes him “shake a wee bit.”
You look at the club now, and it's hard to believe where they were just 14 months ago. When Moyes returned, Everton looked beaten down from years of fighting to stay up. Suddenly, with only seven games left, they’re sitting eighth. That spot could mean Europa Conference League football, but after their win against Chelsea before the break, they’re now just three points off fourth. It’s wild to even talk about the Champions League, but it’s right there in reach.
Reporters put the question to him how does it feel to be this close? With Europe’s spots possibly extending down to fifth (or maybe even further, depending on how other English clubs do), Moyes wasn’t hiding his nerves: “It’s probably the best shot we’ve had in a long time. But when I hear ‘Champions League’? Makes me shake a wee bit, honestly. I’ve been lucky to manage in Europe’s other competitions lately, and if we do make it, I’m sure we’d be able to hold our own at certain stages. Still, the Champions League is just on another level.”
Everton’s next match at Brentford looks huge for their European dreams. Brentford beat them earlier in the season, and right now, both teams are level, separated only by goal difference.
Moyes is clearly enjoying this chapter. “Listen, Europe’s Europe. If someone had said at the start, ‘You’re going to get European football,’ we’d have snapped their hand off. It could be the tiddlywinks European cup, and we’d be up for it. Evertonians want the club back in those conversations. We’re getting attention for the new stadium, we’ve got a couple of England internationals getting noticed more, it’s a good time. If we do sneak into the Champions League, it’d be an unbelievable achievement. But honestly, no matter which competition we make, it’s still a big step forward for us.”
