Sterling Should Keep His Mouth Shut & Change His agent - Carragher

Raheem Sterling has been urged to change his agent and “keep his mouth shut” by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

Sterling, who has already turned down the chance to sign a new deal worth over €130,000 a week, will tell Brendan Rodgers that he wants to quit Liverpool this summer.

Carragher believes the attacker is destined to reach greater heights than Liverpool, but insists he should not be trying to "take on" Liverpool.

"Raheem Sterling is a great kid. He’s not some flash young kid. He’s not loud, he’s not in people’s faces. He loves his football,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

"He needs to change his agent. That’s the one thing he needs to change. For a 20-year-old kid to be taking on Liverpool football club, it angers me to the pit of my stomach.

"Raheem Sterling will obviously move on at some stage. Brendan Rodgers has said he won’t be leaving this summer but it looks like me that he’s trying to force the clubs hand."

Carragher also criticised Sterling’s performances in key games this season and feels the 20-year-old should feel “embarrassed” by fresh speculation surrounding his future at Anfield.

“Last season at Liverpool he was fantastic. Liverpool had a chance at a trophy this season,” said Carragher.

"If you want trophies and big money they won't be given to you, you have to earn them. What did Liverpool win this year? Nothing.

"You’ve got to play well in big games. The semi-final against Aston Villa was the worst game I've seen in a semi-final or final.

"You want to win trophies - the semi-final is the biggest game in the season for Liverpool and Raheem Sterling did nothing.

"If you want to win trophies you have to perform at the highest level. If you want to win trophies you have to deliver in the big games and he hasn't done that yet.

"Keep your mouth shut and get on with playing football. He’ll move on in years to come. Just keep your mouth shut.

"I'd be embarrassed to walk into training tomorrow and show my face to everyone; even the lady on the reception."

Super Eagles Need A Permanent Home Ground - Gbenga Okunowo

Ex-Nigeria and Barcelona player Gbenga Okunowo has expressed discontent with the choice of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna for Super Eagles’ 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad.

The Nigeria Football Federation last week agreed that the 30,000 capacity venue that hosted some matches during the 2009 Fifa U17 World Cup will stage the first Afcon qualifier for the Eagles against the Sao for a ticket to Gabon 2017.

According to Okunowo capped eight times by Nigeria, the country should have a permanent ground where they can demystify their opposition.

Until last year, the Super Eagles played their home matches at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar before they were uprooted to the new ultra-modern Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo after the Abuja National Stadium had been abandoned due to its state of disrepair.

The team will now use the Kaduna stadium for its first qualifier next month.

“From my own view, [regular changing of stadia] is not okay and I don’t understand what the technical crew of the Super Eagles and the Nigeria Football Federation put into consideration before arriving at that choice,” Okunowo told Goal.

“[Coach Stephen] Keshi should be the one to choose where he wants his men to play – well I’m not too sure if he was the one who chose [the Ahmadu Bello Stadium] or was carried along.

“Moving from one ground to the other is not good for us. At this stage, we need to have a national stadium where the Super Eagles will be playing all their home matches,” he added.

“The NFF and the technical crew must look into this and decide where the national team will be playing all their home games. We need to have a permanent home ground and that is how it is supposed to be.

“I won’t be able to pick any pitch for the Super Eagles be it National Stadium, Lagos or the Abuja National Stadium, all we need to do is pick a very good venue that will be suitable for our players to win matches. Mind you, it should be a natural [pitch] and not an artificial turf,” he concluded.

The Super Eagles will file out against Chad on June 13 as they begin their Afcon 2017 quest.

TRANSFER SHOCK! Raheem Sterling Tells Liverpool He Wants To Leave

Raheem Sterling will inform Liverpool this week that he wants to leave the club this summer.

The 20-year-old, who has two years left on his current deal, has rejected an offer of around £100,000-a-week to stay at Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers told talkSPORT on Friday he was confident the flyer would remain at the Merseyside club and talks would continue at the end of the season.

But talkSPORT understands the youngster has told the Liverpool hierarchy he will not sign a new deal.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and La Liga giants Real Madrid have all been linked with Sterling.

Chelsea Slump At West Brom

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was sent off in bizarre circumstances as the below-par Premier Leachampions, playing with 10 men for over an hour, slumped 3-0 at West Bromwich Albion on Monday.
Saido Berahino struck twice for Albion but the main talking point at the Hawthorns was the first-half red card shown to Spaniard Fabregas for unsportsmanlike conduct by referee Mike Jones.

The official was in the process of booking Chelsea striker Diego Costa after he tussled with Gareth McAuley when Fabregas, standing some 20 metres away, chipped the ball towards a crowd of players and it hit West Brom's Chris Brunt on the head, prompting Jones to walk over and brandish a red card.

"What Fabregas did didn't hurt anyone, he shouldn't do it but I don't think that the red card was fair," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told the BBC.

The Portuguese said his side, who won the title earlier this month with three games to spare, had lost "concentration, intensity and motivation" with nothing to play for.

In typical Mourinho fashion, however, he blamed Manchester City, United and Arsenal for failing to mount a sustained challenge.

Chelsea are eight points clear of City going into their final match of the season at home to Sunderland on Sunday.

"Am I guilty? Yes, but I think the top contenders for the title are also guilty, because they didn't give us a big fight. You can't expect us to get on the bus crying because we lost 3-0, we are champions."

Chelsea's third league defeat of the season – the first two coming at Newcastle and Spurs – was kickstarted by West Brom top scorer Berahino's fine curling strike from outside the penalty area after nine minutes.

Keeper Thibaut Courtois prevented Chelsea going into halftime further behind but West Brom won a penalty 29 seconds into second half after Berahino was brought down by John Terry.

Berahino converted to take his league tally to 14 for the season and Chris Brunt lashed in a third goal on the hour for West Brom who are guaranteed to finish no lower than 13th place.

Loic Remy struck the post for Chelsea in the second half but the champions endured a miserable night in the Midlands.

Depay Arrives To Complete Manchester United Move

Memphis Depay is due to arrive in England on Monday to undergo a medical ahead of completing his move to Manchester United, Goal understands.

United confirmed they had reached an agreement with PSV to sign the Netherlands international on May 7, with Louis van Gaal's side having seen off interest from Premier League rivals Liverpool and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Depay's agents arrived in Manchester on Sunday evening, with the player set to go through the medical process at the club's Carrington training base later on Monday.

Goal understands the 21-year-old will sign a five-year contract with Van Gaal's side, on wages that will be in excess of six figures a week, while the transfer fee could rise to as much as €42.5 million (£31m) depending on individual and team success.

Depay played his final game for PSV in the 3-2 win over ADO Den Haag, where he was confirmed as the Eredivisie Golden Boot winner, having already secured the title with the Eindhoven club.

Redknapp: Bale Is Like Ronaldo - But He Must Sort Himself Out

Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says Gareth Bale still reminds him of Cristiano Ronaldo, despite his current struggles at Real Madrid, but says he must "sort himself out".

The 25-year-old has been booed by his own fans and criticised by the Spanish press on multiple occasions this season after an inconsistent run of form since the turn of the year.

Redknapp bought Bale from Southampton in 2007 and turned him from a left-back to a winger, and says he needs the freedom to roam if he is to return to his best.

He told AS: "For me, he’s like Cristiano. You’ve got to give him the ball; once he gets it, he’ll gain a yard, then two and put himself in a position where he can shoot with the kind of power that no one has – or dribble through defences which is something that only a few players do in today’s game. I’d give him all the freedom in the world.

"Both of them are players who like to roam freely, Bale slightly behind... They are players who feel more comfortable without any tactical restrictions. It would be amazing to see them both at full speed, 30 or 40 yards out and sprinting towards goal, running at defences."

Redknapp also refuted suggestions Bale has encountered difficulties because of his inability to perform in the same team as Ronaldo, with the 68-year-old pointing to his performances last season.

He added: "When he left to join Madrid, I did worry that he might be left in Cristiano’s shadow. But he did well last season; playing in the role he was given. He scored some extraordinary goals.

"This year, I see he’s getting criticised. He has never received this amount of attention and maybe that’s affected him a little. But he’s got to get over it, be strong and believe that he can turn his situation around."

Bale's problems have drawn comparisons with his start to life at Tottenham, where he went 24 games before winning a game in the side, and Redknapp warned the Wales international he must show great character and bounce back.

"He needs to work hard, learn the language. He’s got to dive in head first. It’s no good for him to be going over whether it would be better if he came back home. He’s at one of the greatest clubs in the world, if not the greatest. This is a man’s world and he’s got to sort himself out.

"Whenever he was a bit low and disheartened, I’d put my arms around his shoulders. 'Give the ball to Gareth,' I’d tell his team mates, in front of Gareth. 'Today, every player out there was afraid of you,' I’d tell him, 'what a great player you are lad.' I’d repeat that and Gareth would always respond well."

Champions Blues Target Brom Win

West Bromwich Albion welcome champions Chelsea to The Hawthorns on Monday safe in the knowledge that they will be playing Barclays Premier League football next season.

A 1-1 draw at Newcastle United last Saturday, along with results elsewhere, guaranteed top-flight status for Tony Pulis’s side.

Pulis was hired as head coach in January with Albion a point above the drop zone but he repeated the trick he mastered during spells with Stoke City and Crystal Palace by guiding them to safety.

Under the Welshman, West Brom have secured 23 points from 16 league matches and Jose Mourinho is full of praise for his opposite number, who earlier this week hailed the Portuguese as one of football's greats.

"If I own an English club, I sign Tony Pulis," Mourinho said. "It's as simple as that; he's a guarantee to achieve what the club wants.

"He has never managed a club that wants to be champion, never managed a club that wants top four, he is always managing clubs that want to survive and want stability.

"Tony is mathematics. His record is absolutely amazing."

West Brom could face a re-shaped Chelsea attack, with Diego Costa in line to play for the first time since 4 April having recovered from a hamstring injury.

In his absence, Costa's team-mates completed their march to the league title, but striking deputies Didier Drogba and Loic Remy only managed a solitary goal between them during this period.

Mourinho has stated that former West Brom youth star Isaiah Brown is poised to make his Chelsea debut, following in the footsteps of midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who impressed after being handed a start in last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

The 19-year-old could feature once more as Ramires (illness), Kurt Zouma (knee) and Oscar (hip/thigh) remain on the sidelines, alongside second-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech (calf).

Ben Foster (knee) is the only absentee in an otherwise fully fit squad for Pulis, although there is some doubt over whether Stephane Sessegnon will be selected after the Benin international was omitted from the squad at St James' Park.

If Chelsea avoid defeat at The Hawthorns they will break Manchester United's record of the fewest losses in a BPL season (five), which has stood since the 1998-99 campaign.

PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year Eden Hazard is in line to make his 100th top-flight start for the London club.

West Brom: Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, Olsson, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Brunt, Fletcher, Gardner, McManaman, Morrison, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, Yacob, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi.

Chelsea: Blackman, Courtois, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Filipe, Ivanovic, Terry, Cuadrado, Fabregas, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Mikel, Willian, Costa, Brown, Drogba, Remy.

Transfer Rumours And Paper Review - Monday, May 18

Here's the top transfer-related stories in Monday's newspapers...

Manuel Pellegrini has told James Milner, who has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, staying at Manchester City would be best for the midfielder's career. (Daily Express)

Dick Advocaat will quit Sunderland at the end of the season — even if he completes their great escape. (The Sun)

Birmingham City have made a move to strengthen their striking options by signing free agent Jay Emmanuel-Thomas. (Birmingham Mail)

Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert is being lined up for a sensational return to the south coast by Premier League new-boys Bournemouth. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City have been warned off a move for £40million rated Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne by the club's CEO who called the playmaker 'unsellable'. (Daily Mail)

Brendan Rodgers wants to sign Manchester City misfit Stevan Jovetic and is ready to launch a £12m offer. (Daily Mirror)

Yaya Toure has been offered a staggering £8million a season to finish his career in the Middle East. The Manchester City midfielder will consider the deal from Al Gharafa in Qatar, which has virtually no income tax. (The Sun)

David De Gea Could Leave Man United This Summer, Admits Van Gaal

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has admitted superstar goalkeeper David de Gea could leave the club this summer.

The Spain international has been targeted by La Liga giants Real Madrid, with recent reports suggesting the 24-year-old has already agreed a five-year contract with his hometown side.

And while Van Gaal conceded the lure of returning home may be too strong for De Gea, the Red Devils boss was adamant the club will put up a fight and hopes his number one will stay at Old Trafford.

Asked about the keeper's future, Van Gaal said: "With every individual transfer there is a process and there will be a process with David de Gea.

"David de Gea shall not leave us so easily because we are a great club and he wants to participate.

"Of course he is Spanish and his girlfriend is Spanish, and he can go to another great club, so it is difficult for him to decide but a big compliment for Manchester United.

"The transfer is an individual thing. He has to decide. We have given [him] a fantastic contract because we want him to stay - He's had a fantastic season."

De Gea was a usual starter for Sunday's 1-1 draw with top three rivals Arsenal, though the Spaniard's afternoon was brought to a premature end after suffering an awkward fall which saw him replaced by countryman Victor Valdes in the 74th minute.

Old Trafford was awash with banners asking De Gea to stay, and during his pre-match warm-up the goalkeeper was seen applauding fans in all four corners of the ground, sparking panic from United supporters who took this as a farewell gesture.

Van Gaal praised the support of the loyal fans, and added they have done all they can to keep De Gea.

"I don't think I can persuade him because he knows everything what he has at Manchester United," said the manager.

"I don't have to say something because he can feel it every day. You have seen the fans, unbelievable.

"When he goes he is losing that. Here he has a lot of credits. He has to decide."

Messi Eulogised After Barca Title Win

Spain's biggest selling sports daily Marca summed it up in Monday's headline after Barcelona wrapped up a fifth La Liga title in seven years and their 23rd overall on Sunday: "Messi's League".

The Argentina forward scored a typically brilliant goal to secure a 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid exactly a year after last season's champions pipped Barca to the title with a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp on the final day of the campaign.

Barca's latest triumph was the first part of a possible treble of Champions League, domestic league and Cup crowns, which Barca became the only Spanish club to achieve in 2008-09 under Pep Guardiola.

Messi's goal was his 41st in 37 La Liga appearances this term, four behind top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Real Madrid side are four points adrift of their arch rivals with one game left.

Messi has also made an incredible 17 assists and it has been his scintillating form since the turn of the year, after he broke the La Liga scoring record in November, that has been the main driving force behind Barca's treble charge.

They meet Juventus in the Champions League final on June 6, a week after hosting Athletic Bilbao for the King's Cup final, an impressive achievement for coach Luis Enrique in his first season in charge.

"Right now I am thinking about all those who have helped us win this title, without exception," Luis Enrique told a news conference after the match at the Calderon.

"There are still two titles up for grabs and then we will know what mark we can award ourselves, but winning this league makes us very happy," added the former Barca and Spain midfielder.

Barca's defence, marshalled by Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, has also played its part, conceding a mere 19 goals in 37 La Liga games, while Real leaked 35.

But club talisman Messi predictably dominated Monday's front pages after the 27-year-old again proved decisive when it mattered most.

Exchanging passes with Pedro, he found the tiny amount of space he needed in the crowd of defenders and clipped a precise shot into the corner to make it a Messi's league