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According to Calciomercato, Serie A side Napoli are set to make goalkeeper David Ospina’s loan switch from Arsenal a permanent transfer.

What’s the story?

The Colombian shot-stopper is thought to be keen on making his stay at the Italian club a permanent one, and the Gunners are apparently happy to see the 30-year-old go.

Ospina arrived at the Emirates Stadium from Nice in the summer of 2014, and made over 70 appearances for the club in all competitions over the next four seasons – winning two FA Cups in his time in England. Before the start of this current Premier League campaign he was allowed to join Napoli on a temporary agreement.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Clearly there is no place for the 93-cap Colombia international in Unai Emery’s plans, and his future almost certainly lies away from Arsenal.

A replacement in mind

Emery must find a new goalkeeper this summer though. Not only does Ospina look set to leave, but veteran ‘keeper Petr Cech has also announced that he is going to retire at the end of this season.

That would leave Bernd Leno as the only established, experienced goalkeeper at the Emirates Stadium. The German is currently Emery’s first choice but there have been visible flaws in his game this season. 

Allowing Ospina to leave, rather than return to provide back up for Leno, suggests that Emery already has a replacement for this role in mind. That could mean that the Gunners enter the market for a new glovesman this summer, or 26-year-old Argentine Emiliano Martinez – currently on loan at Reading – could finally be given his chance to properly compete for the No. 1 spot.

If you are looking for a break from the stresses of football……………..!

Poker is a trendy game, and rightly so. Unlike other games of luck like slots, roulette, and blackjack, you can play with other people. This makes poker a perfect game to play with friends, family, or even total strangers.

You can play poker online today, like many other casino games. And for those who love bonuses, you can check out casino bonus sites in the UK.

Poker is a sport that requires a high level of skill and mental alertness. Poker tournaments can last several hours, and stamina is required. A saying says poker takes a day to learn but a lifetime to master. In other words, don’t feel frustrated if you seem not to be learning fast enough. Mastering poker indeed takes time, effort, and patience.

This article will provide ways to improve your poker skills.

 5 Ways to Improve your poker skills

Here are some ways to improve your poker skills:

Learn about the game

When starting poker as a beginner, the first step you need to take is to learn everything you can about the game. If you don’t understand the fundamentals of the game, there’s no way you can learn quickly.

You can start by watching tutorial videos. There are tons of videos for poker beginners on YouTube and Twitch. You can also visit poker blogs to learn about the latest poker strategies.

If you have a couple of bucks to spare, you can pick up poker strategy books. Strategy books are available for both online and live poker. A poker strategy book costs around $20 to $30. This budget is perfect for small stake players.

A significant edge that poker strategy books have over watching videos or scouring blogs is the extensive information they contain. You can learn more from a single poker book than you would ever learn from videos or blog posts.

Join online communities

Online forums are another way to accelerate your growth as a poker player. You’ll always find more experienced players who are more than happy to offer advice to new players. And you know the best part? It’s free.

You can even post your hands for review on poker forums to receive valuable feedback. However, not all the feedback you’ll get will be beneficial. Some pieces of advice may not be from winning pros. And it’s of no use when a blind person tries to lead another blind person.

When using online forums, another thing to keep in mind is to be polite and respectful. Other members will be more willing to help and share tips with you.

Hire a poker coach

Free tips and advice will help you as a beginner but won’t take you far. Hiring a personal poker coach is sure to speed up your growth. The sky will be your limit when you have a seasoned professional dedicated to helping you improve.

However, the big drawback with hiring a coach is that it’ll cost you. Well, there’s no fixed price. Expect to spend at least $200 per hour if you want a decent coach.

Hiring a poker coach is only advisable if you’re a mid-stake or high-stake player.

Study your hand’s history

If you play online poker, a good poker tracker is an indispensable ally if you want to up your game. It tracks your hands and results and your opponent’s statistics. The statistics the software gathers from your opponent help you devise strategies to beat them.

You can review each poker session later to find out your mistakes. Once you’ve discovered your errors, the next thing is to work on them. You’ll undoubtedly notice a significant improvement in your game over time. 

Play more poker

Practice makes perfect. If you want to get good at poker, you need to devote more time to improve your skills. That’s just how it works. A coach and books can’t do your work for you.

You also have to find a perfect balance between theory and practice. Too much theory without much practice is useless. And practice without theory or strategy is like running without direction. Your progress will be slow— if you make any at all.

Practice what you learn consistently. You might not notice the daily improvements instantly. However, one day when you look back, you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come and your progress. 

Conclusion

Getting good at poker can appear a daunting challenge at first. However, you can become that professional you’ve always dreamed of with patience and consistency.

Focus on one thing at a time. An overload of information does more harm than good. You’ll progress faster when you take things a step at a time than when you’re trying to learn everything at once.

Photo by Unsplash

Newcastle United have added FC Porto’s Otavio to their transfer shortlist, Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness) report. 

The lowdown

Otavio’s primary position is right midfield but he’s showcased some impressive versatility in his career.

He’s played 81 games as an attacking midfielder and 67 as either a left midfielder or a left winger.

The Portuguese has made 40 appearances for Porto so far this season, starting 25 out of a possible 27 Primeira Liga matches for the unbeaten leaders.

The latest

The report states that Newcastle United have taken a liking to Otavio, who’s now very much ‘on their radar’.

Newcastle officials have been spotted at Porto matches ‘multiple times’ to run the rule over the talent in Sergio Conceicao’s side.

His profile apparently matches the criteria established by The Magpies’ recruitment team.

Otavio’s contract includes a release clause of €60million, which equates to about £51million.

The verdict

Would Otavio be a good signing for The Magpies? Well, he may only have scored five goals this season, but his tally of 12 assists is more impressive.

Indeed, only two players in the squad – Mehdi Taremi (16) and Fabio Vieira (13) – can better that tally.

What’s more, he’s only shown an eagerness to contribute out of possession, leading the way in the Porto ranks for tackles per 90 minutes with 3.3.

His aforementioned versatility means he’d be able to compete with Allan Saint-Maximin, Ryan Fraser and even midfielders like Joe Willock and Joelinton for places.

And if Newcastle chiefs were watching him in action for Portugal last week, they were surely impressed.

Otavio scored the opening goal as Fernando Santos’ men beat Turkey 3-1 to move within one win of qualifying for the World Cup, eclipsing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota with his SofaScore rating of 8.0/10.

In other news, Steve Nickson is eyeing this Serie A gem.

Everton suffered their 18th Premier League defeat last night leading to Lampard’s seventh loss in nine games in charge since he was appointed at the end of January, and now with relegation looking more likely Alan Myers has weighed in on rumours around the manager’s future.

What’s the word?

Former Everton communications director and journalist Myers has responded on Twitter to a fan questioning social media rumours that Everton would be holding an emergency meeting to discuss Lampard’s immediate future at the club.

Myers simply responded: “I’ve not heard that.”

Supporters will be relieved

There is no doubt that supporters will be relieved to hear there is likely to be no truth in the Everton board considering the future of the former Chelsea boss at this stage of the season with just nine games left to go.

The Toffees are in a very vulnerable situation following their defeat to relegation rivals Burnley on Wednesday evening, and by the end of play on Sunday evening they could be firmly placed in the bottom three if they do not beat Manchester United at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon and Burnley take another three points from Norwich City.

Although it’s certainly not being ideal that the manager has failed to pick up more than six points in the last nine Premier League fixtures, the last thing the club, the fans and the squad need right now is further disruption. The sacking of Lampard at this moment in time is unimaginable when you consider how delicate a position the team have found themselves in.

Unfortunately at this point the Everton board have made their bed and now they need to lie in it by seeing out the last few weeks of the season with the 43-year-old manager. They will need to support him in his efforts to find some way to stop the Merseyside club from suffering their first relegation from the top flight since 1951.

Lampard will need to act fast in restoring confidence and belief in his team as they play again in the early kick-off on Saturday afternoon at Goodison Park in a difficult game against Manchester United who are currently battling for a place in the top four. With both teams on the brink of something to lose Everton must find that edge to take all three points.

In other news: Forget Godfrey: EFC’s “reckless” flop who lost the ball every 2 touches let Frank down

Liverpool are interested in a deal to bring Gleison Bremer to Anfield in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Tutto Juve (via Sport Witness), who claim that Liverpool are ready to launch an offer of around €30m (£25m) in a bid to fend off competition from Inter Milan in the race to land the Torino centre-back.

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This would appear to support a recent report by Goal, who suggested that Jurgen Klopp’s side have already made initial enquires regarding a deal for the 25-year-old defender – whom the Serie A side are resigned to losing this summer.

Imagine him & Van Dijk

With Joe Gomez being heavily linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, in addition to how impressive Bremer has been in Italy this season, it is easy to see why Klopp would be interested in a move for the defender this summer.

Indeed, over his 29 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, the £27m-rated Brazilian has been imperious in the heart of the Torino defence, helping his side keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 3.4 interceptions – the most of any player in the league – 1.4 tackles, 3.9 clearances and winning 6.7 duels per game.

The £53k-per-week centre-back has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals and registering one assist, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 0.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor dubbed both “unbelievable” and “faultless” average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as the third-best defender in the Italian top flight.

Furthermore, FBref also ranks the 25-year-old in the top 2% of defenders in Europe’s big five leagues for pressures per 90, as well as the top 1% for interceptions, the top 4% for blocks, the top 11% for clearances, the top 4% for aerials won, the top 1% for npxG and the top 18% for dribbles completed – all of which would appear to make him something of a perfect signing for Klopp’s high-intensity brand of football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that, should Bremer be able to continue this level of performance after a potential switch to Liverpool, Klopp would have undoubtedly formed an extremely formidable centre-back partnership in Bremer and Virgil van Dijk – something that leads us to believe the German must do all he can to land the Torino titan this summer.

AND in other news: Liverpool now plotting bid for “unplayable” £58m machine, it could be bye-bye Salah

Crystal Palace still want to sign Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this month, according to journalist Tom Barclay, who was talking to GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Ramsey links

Palace are yet to bolster their squad this month but could be set for a busy final few days of the January window going off recent reports. According to Italian news outlet TuttoJuve, the Eagles are getting ‘closer and closer’ to signing Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Patrick Vieira is attempting to ‘convince’ the Welshman over a move to Selhurst Park, with the 31-year-old set to leave Turin before the end of the month. However, it’s not only Ramsey who Vieira wants at Selhurst Park before Monday’s deadline, with Nketiah also on the radar.

The Latest: Barclay’s claim

Barclay was talking to GiveMeSport regarding Palace and the 22-year-old Gunners forward. He revealed that the Eagles are still interested in the £45,000-a-week striker and would like to bring him to the club ‘now’.

Barclay stated: “They are interested. They tried to sign him in the summer and they would like to have him and they’d like to sign him now if possible.

“He’s obviously out of contract at the end of the season. I was told it was a difficult deal to do, Arteta’s gone on record saying he wants him to stay, he’d like him to sign a new contract apparently.”

The Verdict: Unlikely?

Reports prior to the New Year suggested that Palace would cut short Jean-Philippe Mateta’s loan spell to make way for a new striker As we know, that hasn’t happened, and with just days remaining in the transfer window, it seems as if a move for Nketiah won’t materialise.

That’s because Mikel Arteta has previously ruled out a January exit for the striker, so perhaps Palace should be looking at a summer swoop, when Nketiah could be a free agent.

A cut-price move could still be a shrewd one, though, as the forward is only 22 years of age and has 75 appearances for the Gunners under his belt, scoring once every 102 minutes in the current campaign.

In other news: ‘We’re big time’ – Many Palace fans erupt as ‘class’ transfer news emerges

Following a nightmare season, Everton are now linked with signing a big replacement in the first team at the end of the season.

What’s the word?

According to The Mirror, Everton are ‘watching developments closely’ to potentially make a move for goalkeeper Sam Johnstone this summer.

The report suggests that the future of Jordan Pickford could be in doubt, as the Toffees eye a move for the West Brom number one who will be out of contract this summer.

However, Everton will face tough competition in securing his signature as another Premier League club is linked, with Tottenham Hotspur also reported being interested in signing Johnstone.

Lampard must axe Pickford

If the opportunity arises for Frank Lampard to sign a new keeper, it might be the perfect opportunity to finally axe his current keeper who has not had a good season and become part of the problem in the club’s current relegation battle.

According to SofaScore, the keeper has conceded 1.7 goals per game and 50 goals in total in the Premier League this season, completing only 34% of his long balls and keeping only five clean sheets – the joint third-worst worst record in the league.

The Telegraph reported earlier this season that Tottenham were interested in signing the Everton flop to replace Huge Lloris, however, following the poor defensive record the side has carried this season, it may be an opportunity Antonio Conte decides to pass upon.

Pickford was recently slammed for being “out of control” following the 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace by Stephen Warnock who told Sky Sports:

“He’s just so animated, that for me, every time I see him I think there’s a mistake coming or he’s out of control in what he’s doing constantly.”

Johnstone on the other hand has been the recipient of high praise for his hard work at West Bromwich Albion this season and has been considered a hot prospect to many clubs following his performances for the struggling Championship side.

The £18k-per-week star who was hailed “outstanding” by Micah Richards has been a standout performer for his current club, with FBref ranking him in the top 81st percentile for saves, 85th for touches and 99th for launched passes this year compared to all goalkeepers in Europe – an impressive pretty feat considering the poor season West Brom are having.

With that being said, if Everton could secure Johnstone on a free this summer, while also selling Pickford to boost funds, it could be a great piece of business for the club.

However, Lampard must secure Premier League football next season to put themselves in a position to attract the keeper and rival Spurs for the signing.

AND in other news: Everton plot bid for “unplayable” £29m “force of nature”, he’s like “an express train”

Rangers have paid a loan fee of £2m to sign Aaron Ramsey from Juventus, Michael Bridge has told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

The Wales midfielder arrived at Ibrox on deadline day, becoming the Gers’ third loan signing of the January transfer window after deals for Amad Diallo (Manchester United) and James Sands (New York City FC).

Rangers say they have managed to preserve their wage structure by agreeing a favourable split with Juventus, but his salary is too large for them to entertain a permanent option (via The Athletic).

Ramsey brings vast experience of playing at the top level, having made 262 Premier League appearances and 78 appearances in the Champions League and Europa League. He has also won eight trophies in his career, including Serie A in 2019/20 and three FA Cups with Arsenal.

The latest

Sky Sports journalist Bridge has learned that Juventus are keen to see the back of Ramsey. For context, Rangers paid more than £2m to sign a central midfielder who had played just 23 minutes in continental competition – Huddersfield Town’s Juninho Bacuna – last summer.

The reporter told Give Me Sport: “My colleagues in Italy are telling me that Juventus just actually want him out of the door. So Rangers might be paying a loan fee potentially of around £2 million.”

The verdict

An outlay of £2m will feel like a very small price to pay indeed if Ramsey proves to be a difference-maker in the remaining months of the season.

Indeed, Rangers could bank a whopping £35m if they win the Premiership and earn automatic qualification to next season’s Champions League group stage, and that’s before you even consider the prize money they may receive if they can stun Borussia Dortmund and advance in the Europa League over the coming weeks.

In other news, many Gers fans were buzzing over this transfer update

Leeds United are leading the race to sign young Aberdeen defender Calvin Ramsay, according to a report from journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

The Lowdown: Ramsay impressing in Scotland

The 18-year-old is already making a name for himself in Scotland, being hailed as a defender who ‘loves going forward’ by former manager Paul Sheerin.

Indeed, Ramsay has made 12 starts in the Scottish Premiership this season, chipping in with an impressive tally of four assists from right-back to back up his manager’s praise.

It may be that the teenager’s future lies at a bigger club and it appears as though Leeds could now snap him up.

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The Latest: Leeds in ‘pole’

According to Di Marzio, the Whites are currently in ‘pole’ position to acquire Ramsay’s signature, with a host of clubs thought to be eyeing him up.

The Scot’s current Aberdeen deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, so Leeds may struggle to sign him on the cheap, so they are allegedly eyeing a loan deal with an option to buy.

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The Verdict: One for the future

Granted, Ramsay wouldn’t be considered an immediate key man if he joined in January, or in the summer for that matter, but planning for the future is crucial.

At 18, he is already shining in his country’s top league and he could be someone who is viewed as a long-term replacement for Luke Ayling, who turns 31 later this year.

It would be a crying shame if Leeds failed to kick on beyond the Marcelo Bielsa era and returned to obscurity – signing talented youngsters like Ramsay could go a long way to avoiding that.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for a club captain. Find out who it is here.

Some Everton fans have been left raging over some transfer news that has emerged on Dele Alli.

Speaking on The Athletic’s The View from The Lane Podcast (via Everton Blue Army), journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke has revealed that the Goodison Park faithful could now consider signing the Tottenham Hotspur midfield player on loan towards the end of the January transfer window, but there has not been any progress on that as of yet.

Alli has fallen away from the player he once was at Spurs, where he scored 50 goals and made 36 assists in the Premier League from midfield between the 2015/16 and 2019/20 seasons (regular England international.

However, just one goal and one assist has followed in the top flight over the last two terms (2019.

Nonetheless, it seems strange that the Merseyside club would look to loan him in on this kind of form, and so it is not surprising to see so many Toffees against the idea.

Everton fans on Alli transfer news

These Blues supporters raged as the transfer news was shared on Twitter:

“If this happens I give up”

Credit: @sammykingston7

“If this has a leg, please NO!”

Credit: @objective_KEL

“This club is finished”

Credit: @samwinch98

“Omg when will this hell end?”

Credit: @joeyslittertray

“When will this stuff ever end….it will end…. in the Championship.”

Credit: @Abelsouthall

“Please no. This would do me in”

Credit: @hado72

In other news, find out what transfer update has Evertonians fuming here!