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Liverpool hero Jan Molby believes that the summer arrival of Joel Matip could be a problem for one of Martin Skrtel, Dejen Lovren or Mamadou Sakho.

The Cameroon international – recently talked up by Jurgen Klopp – will join the Reds at the end of the season when his contract at Schalke expires with an agreement having been put in place.

With Matip in, arguably, the form of his career and having opted for Anfield despite widespread interest in his signature, it would suggest that a first-team role is a virtual guarantee for him, and Molby believes this to be true.

Writing in his Liverpool Echo column, the former Anfield midfielder claimed that the 24-year-old coming in could have serious repercussions for Lovren, Sakho or Skrtel:

“You have to assume Matip will be the number one choice. That’s why Jurgen Klopp has bought him, to build the defence around.

“We’ve struggled to find a partnership all season, and the question now is who Klopp will prefer alongside the new signing.

“He’ll have a good idea, and with our squad already well blessed in terms of centre-back numbers, I’d not be surprised if one of Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel are moved on.

“As I’ve said, we’re not short on centre-backs. But we’ve been looking for one to be the defensive linchpin, the one who can pull everyone together and organise the backline.

“Klopp will hope Matip is that man.”

Molby went on to claim that Matip’s athletic approach to the game should stand him in good stead in the Premier League:

“I’ve seen Matip play several times. He is a big, strong boy and is very composed, and the fact he has played so many games in a competitive and demanding Bundesliga will serve him well in the Premier League.”

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‘Matar O Morir’, read a flame engulfed banner in the home end of La Bombonera this Sunday.

The translation: ‘Kill or Die’. Welcome to the Superclasico, Argentina’s most important football match, and one of the most fiercely contested derbies in the world.

There aren’t many fixtures in world football today where players are shielded by local police as they take throw-ins and corners. Throw a paper plane these days and all carnage breaks loose. In Buenos Aires, however, the former is commonplace.

Over 70% of Argentine football fans are said to follow one of the two contenders, and the country almost comes to a stand still twice a year as Boca Juniors take on Club Atletico River Plate.

The tie is one with deep political roots and fuelled by its nation’s fiery passion for football, making it a national event, not merely a local derby. Both with origins in La Boca – a working class region of Buenos Aires – River later severed ties with the region moving to a wealthier district of the city, Nunez.

Since, Boca have been heavily associated with the working class, and River with the upper. And so rivalry ensued. The game today still reverberates with hateful undertones as this small local scrap between the wealthy and poor has grown into the most legendary clash in South American football.

The first official meeting between the two back in 1913 ended in a 2-1 victory for the then upper-class side River, known as Los Millionarios. Since, however, it is Boca who have taken the lion’s share of the glory in the fixture, although the figures are astonishingly close.

Xeneizes have been victorious in 132 of 358 matches between the pair, with River winning 114 and the rest ending in draws. The most recent fixture, last Sunday, ended in a 0-0 draw, much to the displeasure of the both fans, and leaves the two sides sitting in 8th and 5th in their respective leagues.

Those positions are unusual, for the two are by far the two most successful clubs in the country’s history. The duo eclipse England’s wannabes, Manchester United and Liverpool, in terms of success, with Boca and River having won 30 and 36 Primera Division titles respectively, as apposed to United and Liverpool’s meek 20 and 18.

It is a fixture that should sit on any real football fan’s bucket list. Forget El Clasico, the Manchester and Milan Derbies, and Fenerbahce vs. Galatasaray, the Superclasico ‘makes the old firm look like primary school kick-about’.

Since 2013, however, no away fans have been allow to travel to either stadium, following the deaths of three fans during riots which saw the country’s death toll due to football related violence rise to 70 since the turn of the millennium.

Both sets of supporters have voiced their dismay at the ban, but it certainly hasn’t stopped the violence. There has been a reported 17 more deaths since 2013, and the police now have further trouble dealing with scraps between followers of the same club, believe it or not. Boca’s hardcores, the Barra Bravas, are notorious for such power struggles within their own ranks.

It would be hard to argue that the action taken by the AFA has dampened the atmosphere of the tie. A bouncing Bombanera full of 40,000 Boca loyalists or an Estadio Monumental packed with 70,000 River die hards is still something special, however, with a sea of fireworks, banners and dancing fans await those who enter the arenas.

The passion from the XI on the field is evident also, and more often than not it spills over. Earlier this season, five players were sent off during a so called friendly fixture, including Carlos Tevez, who conceded the penalty that lead to the only goal in a 1-0 victory for River.

Tevez was also sent off during his early days at the club, having celebrated in front of River fans in the manner of the chicken; mocking the club’s ‘reputation’ for choking in big games. The move was said to have sparked violence between the clubs’ fans once more, and went down as one of the most memorable, albeit slightly odd, moments in the derby’s recent history.

Perhaps the greatest the ever grace to derby is the immortal Diego Maradona. At 21, the Argentine signed for his dream club Boca Juniors, subsequently scoring on his debut and going on to win the Primera Division in his first season at the club.

It is his dazzling run and finish in the 3-0 victory over River that season that fans will remember most, as the future Balon d’Or winner stamped his name in Superclasico folklore, and in the process earned himself a move to European giants Barcelona. Maradona later returned to finish his career at La Bombonera.

The Superclasico is a match that invigorates a nation like no other can, and defines its country’s love for the game. Let’s hope it continues to produce the superstars of the game for the future as it has done so well in the past.

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Daniel Levy has long been a figure that divides opinion at Tottenham, but he is finally winning in the popularity stakes – and with good reason.

Balanced books, Champions League football and the new stadium are all on the current chairman’s watch, as well as making top-five finishes the rule, rather than the exception.

Levy’s haters, slaters and berators are now well in the minority. I should know, I was one of them. However, I never went quite as far as the angry few who paraded outside White Hart Lane with ‘Levy Out’ placards in May 2014.

Tim Sherwood was about to get the boot and, despite fortunes on the pitch gradually improving, fans were getting fed up with the continued upheaval, as managers were turned over with alarming regularity and our best players often sold.

But one look at the mess made by investors at other clubs like Newcastle, Aston Villa, Leeds and Blackburn showed that the grass is not always greener.

We at least we had a Tottenham fan at the helm who may have taken some business limelight now and again but, when all was said and done, things were pretty good.

The main beef with Levy was his insistence on a tiered management structure. And no matter how many times it blew up in his face, he was always willing to tear everything up and try it all again.

English football at the time was used to a traditional manager, who dealt with everything from formations and training to scouting and transfers – sometimes even marketing and finances.

The ‘European model’ used by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus etc featured a head coach, dealing solely with first-team tactics and motivation, working below a general manager who controlled scouting, transfers, contracts etc.

In theory, it gives the scope to change the coach without wholesale player and staff changes destabilising a club.

But Levy went through general managers, or directors of football, almost as often as head coaches as different incarnations of the system continually collapsed around him.

The three-headed monster of Frank Arnesen, Jacques Santini and Martin Jol lasted 13 games in 2004, before Santini jumped ship, and Jol became a raging success.

Not deterred, in came Damien Comolli and Juande Ramos, who spent a fortune in summer 2008, but left us in October staring relegation in the face.

Harry Redknapp rode in as a good old-fashioned manager, saved our skin then took us to fourth spot and into the Champions League.

That was surely it, the final nail for Levy’s tiered dream? Think again. Andre Villas-Boas joined technical director Franco Baldini – an arrangement which imploded after 18 months.

Yet after 10 years of apparent board level chaos, it was only when Sherwood stepped up from the academy with all the cut and thrust of a young boxer – naively waiting for that first jawbreaker to put him on the canvas – that people finally began to understand just why Levy was so intent on the head coach strategy.

Top football teams are no longer family businesses or one person’s labour of love, they are corporate juggernauts with thousands of staff doing millions of tasks. No one person can run the club alone.

Similarly, where player transfers of days gone by involved two blokes, a motorway service station and a handshake, they now involve agents, sponsors, image rights, insurance and massive, massive price tags.

One person alone simply cannot be trusted with that level of business, money and consequence – especially when they are already running the first team.

David Moyes arrived as Manchester United boss in 2013 presuming he could apply the same methods that served him so well at Everton – despite the fact he was leaving HMS Belfast for the QE2.

Sir Alex Ferguson had basically been a figurehead in his twilight Old Trafford years – a captain on the bridge, delegating jobs to a highly qualified crew that knew how to steer the ship.

Moyes sacked the backroom staff and brought in his own, who set about sailing into the nearest iceberg.

Meanwhile, Tottenham finally seem to have found the right fit in Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine’s contract now extended to 2021. And, as is always the case with Levy, the business side of the club continues to thrive.

Baldini left the club in September 2015 and Pochettino’s new contract now coins him as the ‘manager’ rather than the head coach. Although Spurs still use head of recruitment Paul Mitchell, formerly of Southampton and MK Dons, to help analyse potential targets.

More and more clubs, however, are now using the head coach role. The biggest example is Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola set to reunite with former Barcelona directors Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano.

And Watford have just had the most successful Premier League season in their history after a run of six bosses in four years since the Italian Pozzo family took charge of the club.

It is now clear that the Spurs chairman’s route was not necessarily the European method at all – but the modern method.

Levy, it must be admitted, was way ahead of his time. If he continues like that, his popularity will only increase.

This article was submitted via our new Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and make sure you follow @FFC_WFU on Twitter for #RealOpinions…

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Bournemouth are looking to sell midfielder Eunan O’Kane this summer as the 25 year old heads in to the final year of his contract, according to HITC Sport.

Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers, as well as Championship side Aston Villa, are all said to be in the running for the Irishman’s signature.

WANT MORE? >> Celtic transfer news | Scottish Premiership transfer new

O’Kane has been at the Premier League club since joining from Torquay United in 2012, but he he has struggled for first-team opportunities in the past two seasons as the Cherries were promoted and retained their status in the top flight.

The midfielder has two caps for the Republic of Ireland after switching his allegiances from Northern Ireland, whom he played for at youth level.

He made his debut in March in matches against Switzerland and Slovakia, and the player will be keen to get into the final reckoning for the European Championship in France after being named in the 35 man provisional squad by manager Martin O’Neill.

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The hype surrounding England’s clash with Wales at Euro 2016 was well lived up on a hotly contested battle on a sunny day in Lens.

Indicative of the current incarnation of the Three Lions that manager Roy Hodgson has at his disposal, there were times when his charges looked as if they could play their way through a brick wall.

Until it came to finish off the job.

Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale hit a stunning free-kick, though questions must surely be asked of Joe Hart, to put the Dragon ahead at half-time.

While hauling both Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy on (and later Marcus Rashford of course) seemed like an obvious move for old Woy, the fact that their opponents looked so dangerous on the counter made it a very bold move indeed.

Largely, it paid off, with the Leicester City ace notching to make scores level after a flurry in the box.

Later, of course, the often injured Liverpool would notch a sensational winner in what is surely the game of the tournament so far.

So, what were the biggest talking point of today’s epic encounter?

Joe Hart’s foam fingers

Joe Hart has often been seen as the undisputed Number 1 for the country for a number of years now, though his dealing with Bale’s free-kick will surely see calls for Fraser Forster to be introduced.

While the Real Madrid man’s free-kick was a stunning effort and even having the audacity to try it proved his superstar quality, there’s little doubt the Manchester City custodian should have done far better.

Rooney in midfield

Much like against the Russians, Three Lions skipper Wayne Rooney proved to be masterful in the engine room.

Still, as good as his cross-field diagonal balls can look, they are never quick enough.

The whole point in switching play wide is rendered useless in the time is takes to switch the ball, allowing the Welsh side to drop back into play and flood the box.

As good as the 30-year old is on the ball, he surely needs to speed up his distribution in order to make a use of the varied England front-line.

Sturridge, Rashford and Vardy

To bring two of the best strikers in the nation on may seem like an obvious choice for Hodgson, though his going top heavy may well have backfired. Particularly with Gareth Bale lurking.

Still, the trio of Vardy, Sturridge and Vardy completely changed the game.

Though only two scored, the trio kept the ball ticking over in the final third, probing and prodding the Welsh defence at any given chance.

Looking at the comments on the social media outlets, Robin van Persie’s possible return is much derided.

The Dutchman may be 32-years-old and has played a season in the Turkish league with Fenerbahce, but it appears that he has still a lot to offer clubs in the Premier League.

Having joined the Turkish giants only last summer for £3.4m, he seems to have fallen out with the club’s coach and is now looking for a return to the English game.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker has slammed his Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira, after claiming he cannot help his team if he keeps getting substituted.

16 goals in 31 appearances is still a good return for the skilful Dutchman, but he was finding it difficult to get a full 90 minutes under his belt.

“Fenerbahce paid a big transfer fee for me so I want to help the team,” Van Persie told Turkish website Fanatik.

“But I cannot contribute as much as I want when I am taken off each game. I cannot be efficient like this. We have to find a solution for this situation.”

In two great stints with Premier League clubs, Van Persie showed his class, The Dutch striker, his country’s all-time leading goalscorer with 50 international goals, found the net 144 times in 280 Premier League games between 2004 and 2015.

It’s clear the forward still knows where the goal is and as an attacking option at around £4m, one club will get an awful lot for their money.

Van Persie remains one of only seven individuals to have scored 30 or more goals in a single Premier League season, managing the tally with Arsenal during the 2011/12 campaign.

On the basis of his past record, it is a wonder that Arsenal fans seem dead set against their former star. Some are calling for his return to the Emirates, while others are less than pleased with that thought.

There are plenty of rumours doing the rounds concerning the player’s next destination, with Rangers in Scotland being very high among them, but it was only days ago that West Ham were thinking of taking another look at the player after a straight no once van Persie was linked to them a few weeks ago. Stoke City are also said to be interested, but nothing is concrete as yet.

Van Persie, among his many honours, won the Premier League Golden Boot twice in a row and is also a set piece specialist with a vast number of his assists coming from both corners and free-kicks.

He is also a proven connoisseur of direct free-kicks, scoring regularly for his club and country.

In short, he is worth a punt at £4m.

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It’s another sobering moment for Aston Villa and Newcastle this weekend.

The two former Premier League names face off in the Championship as they look to bounce back to where they feel they belong at the first time of asking.

So far, Newcastle have made the better job of it as the Villains have struggled to adapt to second tier life.

It was a worry that many of their fans had and their inconsistency this season could put paid to any promotion chances having won once, drawn five times and lost twice so far this year.

Nevertheless, Roberto Di Matteo will be confident he can turn things around ahead of playing the Magpies and despite drawing a lot, at least they’re not losing too many.

It could be a sign that things are about to improve, then, and here at Football FanCast we think Villa could take the victory if they go for this line-up…

Pierluigi Gollini

The young ‘keeper has been okay so Villa fans will be pretty happy with what he could become.

Nathan Baker

He’s played just three times this season but looks set for a decent run in the side now with Villa playing a back three.

Tommy Elphick

The former Bournemouth man knows this league well and could be a key asset to any promotion push.

James Chester

Chester also knows how to perform at this level and should start.

Leandro Bacuna

Bacuna is being asked to do the wing-back role and that might just be his best position.

Mile Jedinak

Jedinak is the battler Villa needed so should start.

Jack Grealish

Grealish will play but needs to start proving himself again.

Ashley Westwood

Westwood is a good footballer and will have to get on the ball a lot for Villa to win.

Jordan Amavi

Villa’s other wing-back, he’ll be key to giving the side some width against the Magpies.

Jordan Ayew

Ayew has the trickery to cause Newcastle problems and the Villains will need him on top form.

Rudy Gestede

Gestede can be a real handful with the right service and with Villa’s wide formation they’ll be hoping to do just that this weekend.

Manchester United fans could be forgiven for wondering what £89m has actually brought them with Paul Pogba, but the French international grabbed headlines last night with a brace in the Europa League against Fenerbahce, which undoubtedly led to sighs of relief throughout Old Trafford.

The world’s most expensive footballer had been criticised for his early performances since his return to the Premier League from Juventus and had become a figure for rival fans to mock on a weekly basis.

However, those same mocking fans may soon need to eat a large portion of humble pie if last night’s performance was anything to go by, as Pogba put in a superb showing during the Red Devils’ comfortable victory over the Turkish side.

The player himself was understandably chuffed with his own performance and the victory for the team, whilst fans were left wondering if this was the true arrival of Pogba for the Premier League giants.

Whether this is simply a tease to United fans of what Pogba is capable of or if it’s the start of something great remains to be seen, but supporters took to social media to celebrate…

However, the performance didn’t stop rival fans from having a dig.

Oh Harry Kane, you don’t do yourself any favours, do you?

The Spurs man is a great striker, boasts a fantastic goalscoring record, appears to be a likable chap and looks set to go from strength to strength over the coming years, but it’s hard to think he’s not… well… a bit dim.

We’re sure Kane is no idiot, but he’s dropped some clangers in the past, such as beaming about winning “three points”… in a cup game. And he’s been up to his old tricks again over the past 24 hours, by tweeting his “love” for FIFA 17, which was accompanied by a picture of the game still in its plastic wrapping!

With Twitter being an unforgiving place, fans immediately let rip, slamming Kane’s choice of picture (we’re sure he’s actually played it!) and having a pop at his grammar skills…

Fair play to Kane, though, he responded to the digs in good spirits, claiming that the picture had been taken a few days before release.

Still, some fans were not bothered about the wrapper or the misuse of ‘there’ – instead opting to question Kane on why his virtual representation made some odd transfers during their own gaming experiences…

It was debut delight for Spain’s Iago Aspas yesterday, who scored a spectacular goal for Los Rojas in their dramatic 2-2 draw with England.

For Liverpool fans the effort seemed to come from nowhere, as they saw nothing of that calibre from the Spaniard during his two-years at Anfield.

Aspas never settled in the Premier League, making just 14 appearances for the Reds and spending the second-year of his stint with the Reds on-loan at Sevilla, but his performance last night ruffled the feathers of many supporters who claimed he should have been given more of a chance.

Obviously some disagreed, with is understandable given Aspas failed to find the net in any of his 14 Premier League appearances, but the striker has excelled in La Liga since joining Celta Vigo- netting 20 goals in 45 league appearances.

His goals last season helped the Spanish minnows secure a surprise spot in the Europa League for this season and the 29-year-old took his chance to sign on international level, which has left many Liverpool supporters wondering what might have been.