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Following on from their dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Liverpool will now be turning their attention back to the Premier League with a big clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the horizon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Manchester club were also in Champions League action in midweek for their 3-2 victory over Atalanta after finding themselves 2-0 down at half time.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match at Old Trafford on Sunday, one Liverpool player that Klopp included in his starting XI in midweek that we feel should not be in the team to face United is Naby Keita.

Even though the midfielder managed to open the scoring for the Reds against Diego Simeone’s side, Keita was actually incredibly disappointing in the middle of the park.

Per SofaScore, he failed to make any key passes, crosses or accurate long balls and lost possession on nine occasions during what was a sloppy evening on the ball. That meant he actually surrendered the play once every five minutes in a very sloppy showing.

Furthermore, he only won one of the nine duels he was involved in and got dribbled past three times, ultimately earning himself a rather poor overall match rating of 6.5/10, making him the joint-lowest rated Liverpool player that started the match according to SofaScore after being subbed off at the break.

In addition to this, Keita’s performance also caught the attention of former Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann who described the midfielder’s latest outing for the Reds as “hugely disappointing” and that he is “simply not good enough.”

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window after Liverpool secured a deal with German club RB Leipzig in 2017 worth a reported fee of £52.75m, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £28.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 84 appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he has managed to score nine goals and provide four assists along the way.

The midfielder has suffered his fair share of injury issues since becoming a Liverpool player which has significantly impacted his playing time at the club.

Looking ahead to the United match, we feel that Klopp must take Keita out of the starting XI to give his side the best chance of beating the Red Devils at the weekend.

However, with Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott and possibly Curtis Jones all out injured, Klopp’s hand may well be forced on the Guinea international on this occasion.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

West Ham like the idea of signing Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi this month.

That’s according to The Daily Mail, and a number of Villa supporters have been reacting to the news on social media.

El Ghazi is reportedly unhappy with his lack of game time under new Villa boss Steven Gerrard, with the Dutch forward playing just 33 minutes of Premier League action following Gerrard’s arrival.

Villa are thought to be open to permanent and loan offers for the 26-year-old this month, although they would prefer a full-time transfer.

The Daily Mail claimed on Saturday that the Hammers want a forward, with El Ghazi one of the players they would like to sign in their bid for another impressive finish in the European places.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful shared the news regarding West Ham liking the idea of bringing El Ghazi to the London Stadium on Wednesday afternoon. This is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many keen to see him depart.

“Beg this is true”

Credit: @FloppyChicken92

“Swap deal for Bowen”

Credit: @marcw1987

“oh my god please take him”

Credit: @NoahKnowsBall

“Today is just getting better and better”

Credit: @avbiIly

“Imagine if we get rid of El Ghazi and replace him with Coutinho”

Credit: @PositiveVillan

“I’ll drop him off”

Credit: @Miller_JD

In other news: ‘Mental’ – Some Villa fans fume as Gerrard eyes club-record transfer. 

Leeds United sent scouts to watch Timo Hubers in action this weekend, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim that the Yorkshire giants were in attendance as FC Koln defeated Arminia Bielefeld in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon.

The 25-year-old centre-back played the full game but conceded an own goal in their 3-1 win, though he seemingly impressed. He registered five clearances and three interceptions, whilst he also won seven duels, per SofaScore.

United are in the market for a new central defender and the club have stepped up their interest in the 6 foot 3 German colossus, who is also believed to have a £6.7m release clause at the RheinEnergieStadion.

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Marsch mission

After the weekend’s Premier League fixtures, only rock-bottom Norwich City (69) have leaked more goals than the Whites (68), so it’s abundantly clear that manager Jesse Marsch needs to bolster his backline heading into next season.

Their fortunes defensively have gradually improved but he is still light on solid and reliable options, so Hubers represents a cheap but viable option.

Indeed, journalist Pete O’Rourke believes he’d be an ideal signing for the former RB Leipzig boss. He told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a talented young player from Koln as well, so he definitely fits the bill for Leeds United because they’ve been forced to have a bit of a makeshift central defence this season.”

Hubers has been Steffen Baumgart’s standout player with Koln on the cusp of qualifying for a place in Europe, having averaged a squad-high average WhoScored rating of 7.09.

Only one other player is winning more aerial duels per game than the 25-year-old (2.5), whilst he leads the way for interceptions (2.7 per game) and isn’t far behind for tackles either (2.1 per game).

Once lauded for being an “exemplary” professional by Hannover 96’s sporting director Gerhard Zuber, it certainly appears as if Hubers would be a player that Marsch would love to sign heading into next season, one that wouldn’t take too much out of the transfer kitty.

After sending scouts to watch him excel, it seems only right that the German titan is amongst their top targets this summer.

AND in other news, Orta had a Leeds disasterclass on “outrageous” £50m dynamo, he’s better than Rodrigo…

So far in the current January transfer window, Villa have been rather active in the market in terms of bringing new players in such as Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho to help strengthen Steven Gerrard’s side, as well as moving players out of the club on loan deals such as Wesley and Keinan Davis.

One other player that has moved on from Villa Park this month is winger Anwar El Ghazi, who recently joined fellow Premier League club, Everton, on a loan deal until the end of the current season.

Despite it being a loan deal, the Dutchman’s future as a Villa player beyond that has recently been called into question.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Villa player Kevin Phillips had this to say about El Ghazi and his future at the Midlands club.

He said: “This is the start of the end for El Ghazi at Villa. He has been a great servant for the club over the years but the club are now moving in a different direction.

“I think it’s a great move for the player. He’s going to another big club. Everton are struggling though so the pressure is on him. It was clear that he wasn’t going to be playing every week at Villa. If he plays well at Everton he’ll be able to secure a permanent deal there in the summer.

“Will we see him in a Villa shirt again? No, we won’t.”

Lange masterclass

During his time at Villa, the 26-year-old managed to rack up 26 goals and 16 assists in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Given how he had only made three substitute appearances for Villa after Gerrard was appointed back in mid-November, it made sense for him to move elsewhere in the search for regular game time.

If Villa were to decide that El Ghazi doesn’t have a future at the club by the time his loan deal at Everton runs out, it could be another transfer masterclass from Johan Lange if they were able to pick up a suitable fee for him that they could use to strengthen their squad in the summer.

Moving forward, Villa will have to hope that the £9m-rated winger can make the most of his time at the Merseyside club and convince the club’s hierarchy that they should sign him on a permanent deal and bring an end to his Villa career.

With the Midlands club already seeing Coutinho have more of an impact on the team with his debut goal against Manchester United at the weekend than El Ghazi had done in his appearances under Gerrard, it would seem likely for them to want to secure the Brazilian on a permanent deal rather than have El Ghazi back.

In other news: Lange must avoid big AVFC disaster as insider update emerges, Gerrard would be livid – opinion

Speaking to GiveMeSport, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has made a promising ‘behind the scenes’ deadline day claim at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Tottenham tipped to be busy…

Just over three hours of the transfer window remain and only two incomings have been confirmed, with both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur making their way from Juventus today.

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Tottenham had been tipped to be busy, with former Sky Sports reporter Aden-Jay Wood expecting ‘several’ incomings at N17 today.

Alas, with the clock ticking, it will take a dramatic late twist if multiple signings are to come through the door, but talkSPORT reporter Crook has urged Spurs fans not to lose all hope.

The Latest: Spurs working hard…

According to his sources, Tottenham are ‘still working’ as he shares their transfer movements from behind the scenes. He also believes there are a couple of names which have yet to be revealed as more Spurs signings today aren’t completely ruled out.

He told GiveMeSport: “I think there’s a couple of names that haven’t come out yet. I think they’re still working quite hard behind the scenes.”

The Verdict: Encouraging…

Signing only Kulusevski and Bentancur would be a slight disappointment from Tottenham given the plethora of links to come out over the last week of the transfer window.

Antonio Conte had earmarked the signing of a new striker, left-sided centre-half and a right-wing-back to boost Spurs’ chances of a top four finish, but it remains to be seen whether he can get any of these positions filled after all.

In other news: Alasdair Gold says Spurs have been offered ‘world-class’ 27-cap forward, find out more here.

[ad_pod ]Chris Sutton doesn’t have to look far to find controversy in Scottish football.On Friday night he wanted the SFA Compliance Officer to take retrospective action for two incidents of foul play that referee John Beaton didn’t deal adequately with.Those views were delivered 24 hours after watching Celtic getting knocked out of the Europa League to Valencia with Sutton back on domestic duty at Hamilton as Steven Gerrard’s side hit five without reply.

Early in the second half on Sunday, Twitter exploded with rage as Motherwell scored through Gboly Aribiyi after refusing to return the ball to Celtic who had put it out of play to allow treatment to Ryan Christie.

The home fans roared their anger at Motherwell, while Dedryck Boyata picked up a booking as the fans and players waited for an instruction from the visitors bench.

Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson could have instructed his side to concede a goal. But he didn’t take that opportunity and for more than 30 minutes anger engulfed the ground before Odsonne Edouard scored from a free kick to restore Celtic’s two goal advantage.

Crystal Palace entered a new chapter in their history over the summer when the club’s hierarchy backed Patrick Vieira with vast sums to spend on exciting young talent in the transfer market.

Things were very different in south London before, though. Managers were forced to work largely on a shoestring budget under the watchful eye of chairman Steve Parish, meaning every player through the door counted.

And one acquisition that the Eagles have always been able to rely on is James McArthur.

The 34-year-old arrived at Selhurst Park back in 2014 for a reported £7.9m and has rarely let the capital club down in his 238 appearances since.

McArthur was rewarded with a new contract back in 2018 after four successful years at the club and received glowing praise from Parish for his pivotal role in Palace establishing themselves as a Premier League outfit.

“James has been a huge success at the club and embodies everything we are about at Crystal Palace. We are absolutely delighted that he has re-signed with us,” he said.

But the former Scotland international has arguably taken his game to another level this season, despite being 34 years old.

As per WhoScored, McArthur has averaged 2.3 tackles per top-flight fixture, 1.2 interceptions and 1.8 defensive dribbles, placing him in the top-four amongst his teammates for each metric.

His eye-catching displays in the middle of the park have caught the attention of several impressed onlookers, including his manager Vieira.

“He is valuable, he’s our captain, and so he has a responsibility to bring his leadership to the squad,” said Vieira after Saturday’s victory over Wolves.

“He’s a fighter, he’s a warrior, he’s the benchmark for a professional. This is the same in training, he is no different.”

Backup goalkeeper Remi Mathews also took to Twitter after the 2-0 win over Manchester City to claim McArthur is “underrated,” and it’s clear the diminutive dynamo is enjoying an Indian summer as his career winds down in spectacular fashion.

And, in other news…“I think…”: Journalist drops exciting CPFC transfer claim that’ll leave fans buzzing

Tottenham are interested in a deal to bring Matthijs de Ligt to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Sport (via Sport Witness), who claimed that both Spurs and Chelsea have launched an offensive for the 22-year-old centre-back, with whom Juventus are reportedly willing to part next month due to their dire financial situation.

The report added that Barcelona are also interested in the Netherlands international, although it is believed that the LaLiga club’s own financial difficulties look to have given the English duo the advantage in the race to sign the defender.

Finally, Sport went as far as to suggest that the bidding for De Ligt has started, while Sport Witness added that both Spurs and Chelsea have made contact with the centre-back’s agent Mino Raiola ahead of a potential move in the winter window.

Conte’s next Skriniar

Considering the sheer amount of talent and potential De Ligt quite clearly possesses, should Fabio Paratici be successful in his bid to land the 22-year-old this January, he could well have unearthed Antonio Conte’s next Milan Skriniar.

Indeed, Maurizio Sarri signed the £76m-rated defender with the intention of including him as part of a three-man defensive “wall” at Juventus alongside legendary centre-back duo Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.

With this formation being the setup that Conte has implemented at every club he has managed, De Ligt could well go on to become the Spurs manager’s next Skriniar, who highly impressed on the right of the 52-year-old’s back three in the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto-winning campaign last term.

It would certainly appear as if the £200k-per-week Dutchman has the ability to do so, as he has been in colossal form over his 15 Serie A appearances so far this season. He has helped Juve to keep seven clean sheets and scored one goal, as well as averaging 0.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 53.4 passes per game and winning 60% of his duels.

These returns have seen the player who Raiola dubbed an “oil tanker” average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Massimiliano Allegri’s joint-fourth best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, it is no surprise to learn that Conte is interested in a move for the Dutchman this winter, as De Ligt easily possesses the ability to become the platform on which the Italian and Spurs can mount a serious charge for a top-four spot this season.

In other news – Bye-bye Dele: Spurs must seal deal for “fantastic” 29 y/o who’s an “incredible talent”

West Ham United have a number of attacking players in their squad that have all contributed to getting the side to where they are at this moment in time.

The trio of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals have scored 21 goals between them in the Premier League and provided 16 assists along the way.

The Hammers also have Michail Antonio, who has found the back of the net eight times and delivered seven assists for his teammates in 31 league appearances.

While there is still some time left until the season ends, it seems as though the east London club may have already got their eye on adding another attacking figure to their squad.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Pete O’Rourke had this to say about Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi and the potential interest that West Ham have in signing him.

“I’m sure West Ham scouts have been alerted to him. He’s a big, strong, pacey forward who could definitely come into that team and improve the West Ham options as well, and I think he’s got all the tools to be a success in the Premier League.

“So, I think West Ham, as well as several other Premier League clubs, will be keeping tabs on him this summer.”

Deadly duo inbound?

After originally joining his current club on loan from Liverpool back in September 2020, the 24-year-old signed on a permanent deal last summer.

In 59 appearances for the German side, the striker has managed to score an impressive 22 goals and provide eight assists along the way.

With 26 league appearances under his belt this campaign, the former Liverpool youngster has found the back of the net 12 times, showing why Mergim Vojvoda called him “an excellent player with great qualities.”

In those appearances, the centre-forward has created three big chances and racked up an average of 2.1 shots and 0.8 key passes per game.

This also backs up why Steffen Baumgart labelled the attacker as a “dangerous” player on the pitch.

In comparison to Antonio, the Jamaica international has racked up 2.3 shots and 1.4 key passes per game, showing just how dangerous he can be in terms of scoring and creating goals for his side.

With all of this in mind, if West Ham were to strike a deal to bring Awoniyi back to England in the summer, this could undoubtedly give Moyes the chance to form a deadly attacking duo at the London Stadium to potentially push the team even further.

In other news: Huge blow: West Ham dealt fresh injury setback ahead of Lyon, Moyes will be sweating

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that a solution that would see Francisco Trincao permanently sign for Wolves, allowing Adama Traore to remain at Barcelona is on the cards.

“I think a swap deal with Wolves between Francisco Trincao and Adama Traore could be a very good option,” said Laporta.

This comes despite the Portuguese forward’s poor form during his loan spell at the club, and with Pedro Neto returning from injury, surely there won’t be too many more opportunities handed to him by manager Bruno Lage.

So will Trincao be a good signing for Wolves, or a just as bad sequel to the underwhelming first chapter?

Our writers at Football FanCast towers have their say….

Daniel Emery

“This one is a must-avoid for Wolves. Bruno Lage would be making a major mistake if he green-lights this swap deal as Francisco Trincao has been far too wasteful in the Premier League this season.

“One goal and one assist in 22 matches as a forward player is a dreadful return. He has missed six ‘big chances’ in front of goal and only created 0.6 opportunities per game in the top-flight, ranking in the 25th percentile for progressive passes and 13th in xA in Europe.

“Instead of swapping him for Adama, Wolves must look to recoup a fee for the Spain international and use that money to find a player who can offer more production than Trincao in the final third.”

George McGibbon

“Despite extremely high expectations upon his summer switch from Barcelona, Francisco Trincao’s temporary spell in Wolverhampton has so far proven disastrous for both the player and the club.

“Indeed, the £25m-rated winger has been toothless over his 22 Premier League appearances, scoring just one goal, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates – returns that mean the 22-year-old has so far been as creative as Jose Sa, with the goalkeeper also having provided one assist and created two big chances this season.

“As such, considering the fact that the Portugal international is reported to be earning an enormous £131k-per-week at Molineux, in addition to his purchase option being around £25m, Bruno Lage simply must avoid making Trincao’s stay a permanent move this summer, as it is abundantly clear the forward would be a colossal waste of money for Wolves.”

Rebekka Arnold

“Despite a good season for Wolves so far, Francisco Trincao is one player who cannot take credit for the great performances we have seen from Bruno Lage’s side.

“Following Hwang Hee-Chan’s injury in December, Trincao was offered the opportunity to play a more important role in the team and make a good impression on his manager, however with just one Premier League goal and assist in 22 appearances it’s fair to say he hasn’t taken his chance to shine.

“Due to his wasteful nature on the pitch, it would be an absolute howler to keep hold of the 22-year-old winger, especially when you consider that he is on £131k-per-week, which is higher than any other player in the Wolves squad. Offering the Portuguese forward a permanent contract, with wages to match his current salary, would be completely undeserved due to his lack of output and effectiveness for his team this season, Lage should be looking elsewhere for attacking talent this summer.”

In other news: £1.35m-rated Wolves flop who has “developed in every way” now proving Lage very wrong