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Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo seemed like a perfect love story.

Ever since he arrived in Spain from Manchester United, the Portuguese superstar has probably been Los Blancos’ most important player and one of the best, if not the very best, in their history.

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After all, we’re talking about a guy who bagged 450 goals in 438 games while he was donning the royal white kit of the Galacticos, only to become their top goalscorer.

By all means, those are sublime figures and something Real Madrid probably won’t see again soon.

But all things must come to an end and in 2018, Ronaldo decided to leave Real Madrid for Juventus and that decision has really hurt many of his fans.

They have been discussing his move and how they miss him in their squad, but not all of them are on the same page.

Some believe the time was right for them to move on and that it was ultimately Ronaldo’s decision, for better or worse, and then there are others who would love to see him return.

You can see their mixed reactions down in the tweets below.

Check them out…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Bruno Fernandes showed exactly what Tottenham would be adding to their squad with a fine display for Portugal at the weekend.

On the chalkboard

The midfielder was the target of much transfer interest over the summer with Spurs and Manchester United thought to be leading the way, and it is possible that Mauricio Pochettino will look to add him to the squad in January.

Fernandes has stated previously that he was close to joining the North London outfit over the summer, and recently revealed that he dreams of a move to a big club in Europe – so could Levy and Co make another move?

Man United chiefs had some doubt over a certain aspect of his play, but his performance against Luxembourg suggests that he would have a lot to offer Pochettino, and on current form would be an upgrade on Dele Alli or Christian Eriksen.

Spurs haven’t had much luck in the attacking midfield area of late with Giovani Lo Celso also failing to get up and running due to injury, and since they have struggled somewhat on the goal front with 18 scored in 12 league matches, a move for Fernandes could be an effective buy.

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Missing link?

The Portuguese has built a reputation as a player who possesses “great technical quality” and that is underlined by his record in the final third, his nine goals and six assists in 17 games this season supporting the idea he has a “killer quality”.

However, he can provide a lot more than that, and his work rate and energy would be of great use to Spurs right now, as their players have often looked dejected and without fight this term – as highlighted in embarrassing displays against Bayern Munich and Brighton.

On Sunday Fernandes was impressive and heavily involved in play on and off the ball, with seven tackles and a total of 97 touches, which suggests he’d be an influential figure in the Spurs set-up.

By comparison, Eriksen once had similar importance for Pochettino, but this year has managed two goals and one assist, with Alli recording the same record in his 10 outings. With the former’s mind seemingly set matters elsewhere, Spurs would be wise to let him go in January and replace him with the Sporting Lisbon playmaker.

The way he ran in behind the defence for his goal on Sunday also shows he offers something different, and with Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura the only two players who do that regularly for Spurs, he would be a great option to have in the squad.

Liverpool fans have reacted to Jamie Carragher’s claim that Jurgen Klopp could end up reaching the legendary status of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.

Carragher thinks that should Klopp win the Premier League title this year, he must be regarded in the same bracket as those two managers, as he has already lifted the Champions League.

The former Liverpool defender told the Liverpool Echo: “Klopp is already a legendary figure at Liverpool Football Club for delivering the European Cup but if he wins the league, you’re talking about Shankly, Paisley levels then”.

As we are coming up to 30 years since Liverpool last won the league title, Klopp would certainly reach an unparalleled status.

He will be the first man to win the Premier League and be the guy that broke the duck on such a painfully long wait for a first-tier title.

One fan said that if anybody is going to do this, it is Klopp, whilst another supporter “he’s something special”. Not everyone, however, is completely in agreement that he will be on that legendary shelf of managers just yet.

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The German will still have a long way to go to match the records of Paisley and Shankly.

Paisley won six First Division titles and three European Cups during his time at Anfield, whilst Shankly claimed three top-flight league titles and two FA Cups.

Here is how some of the fans reacted to Carragher’s claim…

Leeds United are still trying to get back to the Premier League.

As it stands, they are top of the Championship, seven points clear of third place with just nine games left.

However, the suspension of professional football in the UK means that their bid to be promoted is under threat.

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Max Gradel was with the Whites when they earned promotion to the second tier from League One. Having left in 2012, he has not done too badly since, although his form has been a little erratic.

Let’s take a look at how he is now getting on…

Time at Leeds

Gradel started off at Bournemouth, who were also in League One at the time, before moving to Leicester City – they were also plying their trade in the same division. He managed just two goals in 32 matches for the Foxes, but that didn’t put off the Yorkshire outfit, who signed him first on loan for three months, then permanently in January 10 years ago.

During the 2009/10 season, which saw Leeds get promoted, he scored six goals and provided six assists in 32 league matches, not a bad return. It was their first season back in the Championship where he truly shone, though. In 41 matches, he managed 18 goals and five assists, despite his side finishing in 14th place.

That caught the eye of Ligue 1’s Saint-Etienne, who paid £1.8m for his services, as per Transfermarkt.

With that, he was to leave Elland Road behind…

Where is he now?

Since then, the 32-year-old’s form has been erratic – at times he has been stunning, but at others he has flattered to deceive. His first three campaigns with Les Verts were somewhere in between – he scored 14 goals and provided 10 assists in 70 Ligue 1 matches, which did little to catch the eye, although he did get his hands on the Coupe de la Ligue trophy, his one club success to date.

The 2014/15 campaign, though, was to be arguably his best. In 31 league matches, he scored a stunning 17 goals from the left wing, helping the French side to a fifth place finish. Not only that, he was part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 – he scored twice during the tournament.

That earned him a move back to Bournemouth, in the Premier League, but he failed to match those standards he had previously set. He would score just twice in 28 matches before returning to France with Toulouse in 2017. Back there, he has once again rediscovered his form – 28 goals and 17 assists in 96 matches is far from a bad return.

Now valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, there have been ups and downs during his career, much like Leeds themselves in recent times.

Could Tanguy Ndombele’s nightmare at Tottenham be over sooner than expected?

The Frenchman arrived from Lyon last summer in a big-money deal, but his debut campaign in north London has been riddled with injuries and scathing criticisms from his own manager.

Speaking after a particularly disappointing display against Burnley at Turf Moor, Jose Mourinho publicly questioned what Ndombele was bringing to the table, and it now appears things have come to a head.

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French publication L’Equipe claim that La Liga giants Barcelona have registered their interest in the midfielder, and that Ndombele has told Spurs he does not intend on playing another season at the club if things don’t change.

After hearing about the update on the former Lyon ace, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.

Some Spurs fans seemed rather reluctant to let Ndombele go, with a couple suggesting that he could go on to be a star at Barcelona.

It would be a crying shame that if after only a year of being at the club, Ndombele did end up leaving Spurs.

Clearly Spurs felt he was the kind of talent worth splashing out a considerable amount of money for, and it would be difficult to see how Spurs could generate a profit considering they would be the ones looking to offload him.

It may just be worth their while in the long-run to persist with the Frenchman and give him another chance to prove himself next season.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans reminisce about this midfield ace.

Rangers must be wondering when the saga that has engulfed Scottish football will end.

By now, the story is likely to be clear for you, but just in case it isn’t, it all started with Dundee. With the season suspended due to the current pandemic that has wreaked havoc across the planet, the SPFL put forward a resolution proposal in an attempt to decide what should happen with the rest of the campaign. The Dark Blues’ vote, though, was originally not registered and, when it was finally counted, it had changed.

This has led to accusations of corruption from Rangers, and an almighty chaos north of the border. An Emergency General Meeting has been set up for May 12th, and now the SPFL has released an open letter to all clubs in the top four divisions. In the letter, it insinuates that an independent investigation, which Rangers have requested, would be a waste of time.

As you can imagine, the Ibrox outfit’s supporters are raging at this latest update – one fan even called the organisation “a stain on Scotland”. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

The official Nottingham Forest Twitter page has posted a video of the all-important Jordan Smith save from 2017, to help the club avoid relegation into League One.

The Reds were up against Ipswich Town in the final game of the 2016/17 season, uncertain of whether the final 90 minutes would spell disaster or not. But Forest came out with all guns blazing and fired three past the opposition, with Britt Assombalonga’s brace ensuring his side collected an important three goal cushion. Their result meant Blackburn Rovers were the last side to be relegated.

However, the attackers weren’t the only players to put in a stellar shift that day. Smith was forced into two magnificent saves in order to deny Ipswich their chance on goal.

Forest fans are remembering the day they survived the drop and are hailing Smith for his outstanding performance between the sticks. One supporter has branded his display as ‘simply sensational’. Here’s the best replies to the footage from the 2017 match:

What are your memories from this day, Forest fans? Join the conversation in the comments below!

As Newcastle United await official ratification from the Premier League, The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has provided supporters with realistic transfer targets that could kickstart a new era at the club.

The Saudi Arabia-backed consortium is currently undergoing the PL’s owners and directors test after agreeing a £300m deal with Mike Ashley to purchase the northeast outfit – and they have big long-term plans.

Steve Bruce’s Magpies squad lacks serious quality across the pitch as seen in where they find themselves in a mediocre 13th as well as them ranking bottom for expected goals (xG).

Andy Carroll, Dwight Gayle and £40m club-record man Joelinton have bagged just one goal between them, so a striker would be a good place to start and Waugh has tipped up Lyon striker Moussa Dembele, a striker who the club have scouted ‘extensively’.

He said:

“Meanwhile, Moussa Dembele is among the strikers who Newcastle’s recruitment staff have watched extensively. The Lyon forward has scored 16 league goals this season, despite getting into worse positions than the previous campaign according to his xG. He has boosted his scoring statistics by taking more penalties, scoring four of five in Ligue 1. Nevertheless, at 23 he is about to come into his prime and is coveted across Europe.”

The 23-year-old has been in emphatic form for the Ligue 1 side this campaign having scored 22 goals in 42 appearances and while he didn’t score in the competition, he has featured in seven Champions League matches which bodes well for the prospective owners’ long-term ambitions.

It speaks volumes when the Magpies’ top goalscorer is central midfielder Jonjo Shelvey and that four centre-backs have combined for eight goals themselves, via WhoScored.

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Someone like Dembele can be exactly the sort of signing that signals the intentions from the Amanda Staveley-led consortium. It would be a superb addition to kickstart a squad overhaul.

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react over Mark Douglas tweet… “classic Ashley”…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left unimpressed by a new transfer report that has emerged over the weekend.

According to L’Equipe, Spurs have made contact with Rennes striker M’Baye Niang ahead of a potential summer move and it could cost Daniel Levy somewhere between €20m (£17.9m) and €30m (£26.85m).

Jose Mourinho failed to bolster his side with a striker during the January transfer window and his side have had to deal with the consequences ever since.

Leading talisman Harry Kane went down injured on New Year’s Day before Heung-min Son was ruled out for the remainder of the season following his match-winner against Aston Villa shortly later.

It resulted in them crashing out of all cup competitions and sinking seven points adrift of the top four in the Premier League with no viable back up to lead the line.

But evidently, Niang is not a player that the Spurs faithful want in north London next term.

The 25-year-old has finally found his feet at the Ligue 1 outfit after providing 15 goals and two assists in 36 appearances this campaign, via Transfermarkt.

Niang struggled to make the mark at AC Milan between 2012 and 2018 with him being sent out on loan four times, which included a spell at Watford, resulting in some fans calling him a “reject”.

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Others weren’t happy with the persistent links to players from the French league.

There was even a comparison made to former Spurs flop Clinton N’Jie.

There were also a few supporters who took a swipe at chairman Daniel Levy, as expected, for not wanting to fork out money for the Senegalese striker.

It remains to be seen if Spurs hold genuine interest in Niang, but clearly the move wouldn’t go down well with some fans in north London.

AND in other news, Spurs fans react as long-serving STAR linked with summer exit…

Pierre van Hoojidonk has said that he had talks with Glasgow Rangers manager Dick Advocaat during his time in Scotland.

However, the former Dutch striker claimed that he could not make the move to Ibrox due to his connections with Celtic.

The Netherlands international had a fantastic record with the Hoops, scoring 52 goals in 84 appearances in just over two years, but that came during a barren spell for them in which they won just one trophy, the Scottish Cup, during his time in Glasgow.

The former Nottingham Forest player was talking on the Lockdown Tactics Podcast and recalled the time Advocaat had tried to take him to Ibrox. He said:

“I was on the phone with [Dick] Advocaat during that period.

“Arthur [Numan] had just signed and Dick was going to be the manager.

“Dick called me and said ‘Come on, come to Rangers.’

“I said ‘Dick, you don’t know what it is like. You have no clue. If you say this you don’t have a clue’.

“I met him a couple of years ago after that moment at Celtic Park when I went to see Celtic vs Rangers and he said ‘I understand completely why you said no.”

The ‘Gers were already a side packed full of talent at the time, with the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Brian Laudup and Ally McCoist already available. Adding a striker with the ability of Van Hooijdonk to the squad would have been, quite frankly, unfair to the rest of the competition.

Of course, he could never make the switch directly across the divide – the hatred between the two is just too strong. Still, fair play to Advocaat for having the bravery to make the approach!

‘Gers fans, would you like to have had Van Hooijdonk at Ibrox or was he right to turn down a move to the club? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!