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It gets better each time you watch it.Although I’m sure that’s not the case for the poor defender who had to deal with it.Any chance to relieve what happened on the weekend against their bitter rivals was always going to be lapped up by Forest fans, so naturally the Nottingham Forest Twitter account was more than happy to oblige in giving them some material to work with.

Tiago Silva’s performance against the Rams earned him a lot of praise from the supporters, but there was one moment above all else that really got the fans talking, and that was his ‘elastico’ (or flip-flap, whichever you prefer) against Duane Holmes during the second half.

Although it didn’t end in a goal so he gets minus points for that, still pretty good though.

I’m just glad nobody replied by saying he was ‘sent for a hotdog’, because that phrase really gets annoying after a while.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent believes that the club would be “lucky” to have Jose Mourinho as manager, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

The Sun reported over the weekend that the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss is keeping tabs on the Spurs job amid their struggles throughout the campaign.

Tottenham are currently 14th, 11 points off the top four, and a separate report from The Daily Telegraph has suggested that Pochettino could be sacked if they lose to West Ham United this weekend.

The Sun claims that, were the Argentine to leave, Spurs’ options to replace him would be limited, with Mourinho amongst them given that he is currently out of work.

And Bent believes that the club would be falling on their feet if they appointed the Portuguese.

He said: “A lot of people always talk negatively about Mourinho but he’s a born winner, look at what he has won.

“I think sometimes clubs need to appreciate where they are and not get too big for their boots, cause I’ve heard a lot of clubs say we don’t want Mourinho, but hold on, he has won things.

“He has won things that club haven’t won, he has won the Champions League. Spurs got to the final last season but they haven’t won it.

“He’s won the Premier League with Chelsea, Spurs have never done that so before the fans start screaming ‘we don’t want him’, they need to look at his pedigree and what he has done.

“They’d be lucky to have him.”

The pedigree needed

If Pochettino were to leave, and that remains a big if at this point, then this is the kind of manager that Spurs should be looking for.

Football FanCast understands that RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is chairman Daniel Levy’s first-choice candidate as he does his due diligence.

But, as Bent says, Mourinho is as close to a trophy magnet as one can find.

Since his appointment at Porto in 2002, he has won a trophy with every single club he has managed: Two league titles with the Portuguese giants; two Premier League trophies and the FA Cup with Chelsea in his first stint and another league title in his second, along with the League Cup; two Serie A titles and the Champions League with Inter Milan; La Liga with Real Madrid and the Carabao Cup and the Europa League with United.

Of course, his football may well be known for being slightly dourer than Pochettino’s, but he has dragged teams over the line when he has needed to.

If the former Southampton boss were to lose his job, the appointment of Mourinho would be a message to opponents that Spurs are attempting to get back to the top table of English football, and, subsequently, a sign that they are desperate to finally end that trophy drought that runs back to 2008.

They could do a lot worse.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking after his side’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, Jurgen Klopp has insisted his side aren’t here to “send messages”.

What did he say?

The Reds have made a stunning start to the Premier League campaign, with their victory over Roy Hodgson’s side at the weekend ensuring their undefeated status.

It means they have a lead of eight points over second-placed Leicester, and Klopp has now insisted that the key to their success has been being able to win ugly.

He said (as quoted by Yahoo Sports): “It is exceptional to have 37 points after 13 games.  You can’t have them by winning brilliant games every time. We had a couple of them but you can’t always win them. We aren’t here to send messages; we just want to get results.

“I’m not surprised by how the game went. We know it’s a tough place to come; the atmosphere is good. They don’t give up. We knew at half-time that we had to do better. We weren’t brilliant but we were ready to fight for the result.”

Elite mentality

Make no mistake about it, the fact Klopp is refusing to get carried away with what quite frankly has been an extraordinary start to the league season, bodes well for Liverpool’s title charge. The key to winning the Premier League has always been about grinding out important results at important times, and particularly when the team isn’t playing well either.

And on Saturday, the Reds were hardly at their free-flowing best, registering just four shots on target in the entire game. Indeed, Wilfried Zaha’s 82nd minute equaliser appeared to ensure that they were going to drop vital points, but thanks to some late pressure, Roberto Firmino netted a late winner. It was the kind of performance that had all the hallmarks of a potential champion. And Klopp’s post-match verdict proves Liverpool mean business.

Leeds United fans have been sent into a frenzy on social media after reading comments from Huddersfield Town owner Phil Hodgkinson.

The majority shareholder at their arch-rivals was speaking on a Terriers’ podcast over the weekend where he claimed that they had a better squad of players than the league-leading Leeds.

He said: “If you look at that Leeds game, if you cut those two squads together, I would not say, in my personal opinion, that Leeds have got better players than us barring one or two. I believe we’ve got better players in most positions.”

That’s quite an outlandish statement to make given that 29 points separate the two teams in the division and it isn’t out of the realms of possibility that both teams could be two divisions apart come the summer – Marcelo Bielsa’s side are on the verge of the playoffs while Danny Cowley’s lot are 18th near the relegation zone.

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The Whites have beaten them twice this season, too, the most recent a 2-0 victory right before a suspension was put on all fixtures.

Supporters haven’t taken too kindly to the comments at all, here’s what they have been saying…

AND in other news, Andrea Radrizzani tweet has Leeds fans talking…

Manchester City star Raheem Sterling will not be returning to Liverpool according to The Athletic’s James Pearce.

A recent report from French media outlet L’Equipe suggested that the Reds could be in the market for Sterling, but Pearce has moved to quash those rumours stone dead.

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The highly respected journalist has addressed reports regarding the futures of both Sadio Mane and Sterling in an article published on The Athletic, claiming the Anfield hierarchy are convinced that the former is happy and sees his long-term future at the club.

The prospect of Sterling re-signing for the Reds, meanwhile, is “a non-starter on every possible level.”

That settles that then!

Pearce tweeted his article out to his followers on Wednesday evening and included a brilliant line from his piece, suggesting “there’s more chance of Lord Lucan riding into Anfield on Shergar than Sterling returning to Liverpool any time soon.”

And despite the England international’s perpetual rise into the global elite since moving to the Etihad Stadium, it seems plenty of supporters are relieved by the update.

Some fans, meanwhile were simply delighted by the comical and emphatic manner in which he addressed the reports, leaving fans in little doubt that the 25-year-old is not on the club’s transfer agenda.

Here’s what the Liverpool fans had to say in response…

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has emerged as a front runner for the Premier League Player of the Season award and Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson believe’s he’s more worthy of the accolade than Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne.

What’s the word?

Amid football’s current hiatus, discussion regarding when and if the season will restart again is dominating the headlines.

However, a handful of Sky Sports pundits took a step back from that dominant narrative this week and instead focused on the most outstanding individuals on show during the 2019/20 season.

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Liverpool players were naturally at the forefront of the conversation, and former Reds player Phil Thompson selected Henderson as his choice for the award.

“At this moment, I would have to go with Jordan Henderson. Going back to early December, I was one of the first to flag him up as having a possibility of player of the year, and just how important he is to Liverpool.

“He has been absolutely terrific and has had a tremendous season. I think he may just pip De Bruyne, who I have such admiration for.

“For Jordan to help bring this side a Premier League title, it would be justifiable if he was to get this accolade. Without a doubt, to be pipping De Bruyne to this award, is a testament to himself.”

More worthy than De Bruyne

Anfield icon Thompson has hit the nail on the head.

That Henderson is even being mentioned in the same breadth as De Bruyne attests to how far the England international has come in recent years.

As the leader of Liverpool’s dressing room, his influence in what has been an outstanding season cannot be underestimated.

After coming so close to winning the title in 2018/19, it would have been easy for the Reds players to drop down a gear this season. Instead, however, they have bounced back with stunning determination and that hunger to succeed has been epitomised by Henderson’s development.

De Bruyne is a generational talent who has almost averaged a goal contribution per game this season with a combined total of 25 goals and assists in 26 league appearances but, given Liverpool’s 25-point gap at the summit of the division, it simply has to Henderson’s year.

In other Liverpool news, plenty of fans are delighted by James Pearce’s update on Raheem Sterling…

Newcastle United’s takeover could be confirmed by next week, according to sources in Saudi Arabia.

The House of Saud claim that there have been delays to the original plans of announcing the completion on Monday of this week and also state that “terms including figures are agreed and the deposit has been completed.”

In an article posted today, they further added:

“Speculation regarding a potential one-off embargo against the PIF and Saudi Arabia being imposed by the Premier League is untrue, and we can report that the Saudi Finance Minister has received no indication of any such issues or obstacles with regard to the takeover of Newcastle United.

“The new owners have a “dream list” of players, including some of Europe’s biggest names, which they see as crucial to bringing the club’s results and achievements to the highest level. The Newcastle United board are confident they will be able to announce the deal formally within, at most, the next week.”

If true, Mike Ashley’s 13-year tenure at the Magpies is soon about to come to an end with Amanda Staveley’s consortium taking the reins.

Many fans at St James’ Park have been waiting eagerly all week to hear some sort of confirmation that the takeover has been completed and this latest update emerging from Saudi Arabia, who are heavily backing the deal through their Public Investment Fund, provides major encouragement.

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The House of Saud believe the delay has been down to “due diligence” from the Premier League, which has been exacerbated by the current lockdown measures in both countries.

AND in other news, Fans react as Faustino Asprilla comments on Newcastle takeover…

In the months leading up to his departure from West Ham to Tottenham in 2003, Jermain Defoe received three red cards in the space of 10 games. 

Just months after controversially handing in a transfer request the day after West Ham were relegated from the Premier League – a decision he has since said he regrets – Defoe was then being accused by West Ham fans of trying to force his way out of the club by deliberately getting sent off.

However, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Defoe has explained the real reasons behind those red cards. He said: “Looking from a West Ham fans’ point of view, I understand why they might think I was doing it on purpose but if you really knew me, you’d know all I want to do is score goals and play every game, so why would I want to miss football matches?

“At the time I felt like I was a target for players I played against and the referees. That’s how I felt. People were trying to wind me up and referees weren’t really protecting me because I was in the spotlight after what had happened with the transfer request.

Defoe has only received two more red cards in 16 years since, which goes to show that it was out of character and not a reflection of his character, but it’s clear all the off-field problems he found himself involved in following the ill-advised transfer request had begun to affect his efforts on the pitch.

“The backlash was just crazy! I had so much anger and I was so frustrated with the whole transfer request situation. I didn’t really know what was going on.”

You can read the full interview with Jermain Defoe, in conjunction with On The Ball Global, here.

When Odsonne Edouard arrived at Celtic on loan, he set the Scottish league alight. That meant that the Hoops did everything they could to sign him on a permanent deal, and in the end he joined for £9.27 million, per Transfermarkt.

He has quickly become a fan favourite at Paradise, and this campaign he was the top goal scorer in the division, finishing nine goals ahead of Jermain Defoe in second place, via BBC Sport.

Becoming such a vital player for the Hoops and helping them achieve a lot of success has not gone unnoticed, with clubs across Europe interested in signing the forward. However with news this week from Sky Sports suggesting that the Celts are currently trying to tie down the attacker on a new contract, it looks like they will definitely have him for next seasons historic title push as they try to achieve something never done in Scottish history and win the league ten times in a row, per talkSPORT.

So how much do Celtic fans know about Edouard’s career so far at the club? This quiz will test even the most dedicated supporters.

David Luiz was one of many Arsenal players who produced a great performance in the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over Sheffield United in the FA Cup. We have taken a closer look at his performance against the Blades in the latest edition of our Unsung Hero feature.

Arsenal finally picked up their first win against Southampton since football has returned, and they now have two wins in two and are advancing to the semi-finals of the FA Cup after their victory against the Blades.

Wembley now awaits, and a trophy in Mikel Arteta’s first season would be a very good start and please many Arsenal supporters. Dani Ceballos scored the last minute winner and rightfully has been receiving a lot of praise, however David Luiz’s performance seems to have gone under the radar.

When his name was on the team sheet, many would have been worried following his awful display against Manchester City within his first 30 minutes of him being on the pitch since football returned. He made a mistake to gift City a goal and was then sent off after giving away a penalty. This led to SofaScore giving him a 3.0 rating.

However SofaScore clearly appreciated his performance in a back three at Bramall Lane on Sunday as they gave him a 7.2 rating which was the joint-second best on the pitch out of the Arsenal squad and the joint-fourth best out of everyone who played.

The centre-back was outstanding in a back five, which turned to a back three when attacking, as he managed six clearances, two tackles and won three of his four aerial duels as well as winning both of his ground duels, per SofaScore.

The Brazilian was also not dribbled past and Arsenal looked a strong unit when he was on the pitch, but Sheffield United started to get into the game soon after his substitution.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks as the defender has been slated not just by the Gunners fans but by many in the footballing world like former Ballon d’Or winner Ruud Gullit, who said to Ziggo Sport, via Metro, “Yes, David is not doing well. I think he’s an overrated player, really. When he played in midfield I thought he was reasonable, but then there was already discussion about what he actually is as a player.”

He has also been given a contract extension over the last week as his old contract was due to expire on June 30th and many have been debating whether he deserved this. However he has clearly proved doubters wrong whilst also showing many why Arteta still wanted him at the club following this performance.

Gunners fans may have gone from not wanting him in their team to not wanting him to have a long term injury.

Arsenal fans, what were your thoughts on David Luiz’s performance? Comment below!