RB Leipzig would consider allowing Naby Keita to join Liverpool this month if the Premier League club pay an additional £17m, according to Bild.
What’s the word?
Since Philippe Coutinho completed a move to Barcelona, rumours have been in overdrive claiming that the Reds want to speed up the arrival of Keita.
The Merseyside outfit agreed to sign the midfielder in the summer for a fee talkSPORT claims was worth £48m.
The arrangement was for Keita to finish the season at Leipzig and then move to Liverpool before the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Now, though, the Reds reportedly want him to fill in the gap left by Coutinho.
Initially, the Bundesliga outfit publicly stated that a deal would not be struck, but according to Bild, if Jurgen Klopp’s side fork up around £17m then Keita is theirs.
Should Liverpool pay the premium?
Losing Coutinho is of course a big blow, but paying extra money for a player that they have already acquired seems foolish from a financial standpoint.
Presumably, Keita was bought with the intention that Coutinho would still be at Anfield next season.
Even though Klopp has lost a body in attacking midfield, he has the option of calling on Adam Lallana now that the England international is back fit.
Even though the former Southampton player may not possess the same quality as the Brazilian, he can fit into an attacking formation that boasts Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
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In addition, Keita is cup-tied for the Champions League, so he would not be able to make a difference to Liverpool’s campaign in the competition.
The midfielder has also been through a run of poor form, therefore it would be best for the Reds to have him in the ranks once he is fresh and ready for a new season.
It’s easy to see why Liverpool are so desperate to keep Emre Can and Juventus are reportedly keen to snap him up on a free transfer when his Anfield contract expires in the summer. There aren’t too many players who can claim to have won a Goal of the Season award and be a fully fledged German international at the age of 24.
But there is an inconsistency to Can’s game, especially when deployed in the holding role he’s adopted at times this season during Jordan Henderson’s recent injury layoff.
While the 20-cap midfielder tends to have an instrumental impact in the big games – like in the 4-3 win over Manchester City when he made the second-most tackles of any player on the pitch – he struggles to make the same impression against lesser opponents, ineffectual during the 1-0 defeat to Swansea last Monday and unusually quiet once again as Liverpool lost to West Brom in the FA Cup on Saturday night.
The Baggies’ three goals was evidence enough that Can – who Transfermarkt value at £25.2million – didn’t offer adequate protection in defensive midfield, not to mention the fact he was hauled off after just 64 minutes. But during that time, Can failed to create a single chance, have a shot on target, win an aerial duel or complete a tackle, while even his pass completion rate of 82% disappointed for a player whose primary duty was to anchor the midfield with simple passes.
Perhaps Can’s downturn in recent games is linked to the doubts over his future, or perhaps it’s because he’s been given the captain’s armband during his last two appearances.
But the former Leverkusen man has never truly struck as an out-and-out holding midfielder – he’s always shown a desire to make an impact going forward – and perhaps the change in roles, especially when playing against teams who look to hit Liverpool on the counter-attack, simply doesn’t suit his game.
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Amid ineffectual displays against Swansea and West Brom, Liverpool fans will have wondered why Jurgen Klopp is so determined to let Emre Can’s contract wind down rather than cash-in on the German international six months early amid interest from Juventus.
Performing the holding role at the base of midfield, the 24-year-old failed to make any positive impact as Liverpool fell short against relegation-threatened opposition in the Premier League and the FA Cup – evident enough from the fact they conceded four goals to sides who have averaged less than one per match in the top flight this term.
But pushed further forward upon the return of captain Jordan Henderson, Can showed against Huddersfield last night why he’s wanted so dearly by the Italian champions and so dearly by Klopp to stay on Merseyside, given the licence to venture forward and take risks in a box-to-box capacity.
In fact, it was Can who broke the deadlock after David Wagner’s side frustrated Liverpool for the opening 25 minutes, his shot struck cleanly and powerfully enough to give Jonas Lossl no chance after the ball took a damning deflection off a Terriers defender.
But that was by no means the end of Can’s offensive contributions; he also created the second-most chances of any Liverpool player, completed the most crosses and had a further two efforts at goal. The 6 foot midfielder – who Transfermarkt value at £25.2million – was purposeful but economical with the ball as well, completing 91% of his passes.
This is the Emre Can who can be such an asset at Anfield, but maybe the occasional misuse of him this season is part of the reason why the 23-cap international sees his future elsewhere. There’s something too ambitious about Can to ever be an out-and-out holding player; he needs the freedom to get forward and contribute to the attack.
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According to an interview he did with Big Rossi Radio, via the Liverpool Echo, Everton manager Sam Allardyce has suggested that the Premier League introduces a mid-season winter break, and Toffees fans have been quick to have their say on his comments.
The Merseyside outfit have spent the last week in Dubai for a warm-weather training camp having been knocked out of the FA Cup by arch-rivals Liverpool at the third round stage, and the 63-year-old boss believes it should be a regular occurrence in the fixture calendar in the future, mainly for welfare of the players.
He told Big Rossi Radio, via the Liverpool Echo: “The Premier League really now must give us a break.
“They really must give us a break and an interim season. We need to make sure we can regenerate and recover players physically and mentally.”
Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on his comments, and while one said “nobody honestly cares while he is in charge”, another asked “can we have an Allardyce break instead?”
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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Tottenham Hotspur fans have taken to Twitter to provide their reactions to the news that Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure remains a target for the White Hart Lane outfit, after the midfielder confirmed Spurs’ interest in him in an interview with Telefoot.
The Hornets midfielder has impressed during his time in the Premier League and has produced key performances for his side this season, including seven goals and three assists.
It is believed Spurs are not the only English club to be interested in signing the player from the Vicarage Road outfit this summer, with Arsenal and Liverpool also rumoured to be keen.
The midfielder has been vital to the way Watford have been playing, with many considering him to be an underrated player within the league and the club will have a battle on their hands to try and keep him.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team will be looking to do everything they can to make him a Tottenham player next season.
Fans have been delighted with the possibility of him linking up with their stars on Twitter and were encouraging the club to get a deal done.
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Everton lost their fourth successive Premier League away match as they were beaten 1-0 by Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, and it is a result that would have brought manager Sam Allardyce’s future into further doubt.
The 63-year-old signed a deal to stay until 2019 when he succeeded Ronald Koeman back in November, although recent results on the road, and the Goodison Park faithful being generally unhappy with him and the performances on the pitch, may mean he leaves as early as the summer.
Owner Farhad Moshiri will certainly want to sit down and talk to the former England after the climax of the season about the side’s showings, and he may well be expecting a seventh-place finish this term with the Merseyside outfit currently lying three points behind Burnley in that spot despite their latest reverse on their travels.
The former West Ham United and Newcastle United manager leaving the Toffees wouldn’t be good news for everyone though, and there would certainly be some players that have been regulars under the ex-England chief that would be unhappy and believe that they would be on their way out at the end of the campaign if he went.
Here are three Everton players that have no future at the club if Allardyce goes this summer…
Cuco Martina
Former Everton boss Ronald Koeman signed Martina for free on a two-year deal last summer, with the right-back being seen as cover for Seamus Coleman as he recovered from a double leg break.
However, the Curacao captain has been a regular in the opposite full-back role with Leighton Baines missing the majority of the campaign through injury, and he has played the full 90 minutes in every Premier League match since Sam Allardyce took charge.
While the 63-year-old appears to be a fan of Martina, the Goodison Park faithful don’t feel the same way – the 28-year-old especially struggled against former Toffee Gerard Deulofeu on Saturday in the defeat to Watford – and he would surely be on his way out if a new man came in.
Ashley Williams
Williams was another that came under fire from the Everton supporters following the club’s below-par start to the Premier League campaign, but like Martina he has been something of a regular under Allardyce even though the former England boss has had Mason Holgate, Phil Jagielka, Michael Keane and Eliaquim Mangala – for two matches at least – to choose from in the centre-back position.
While Allardyce seems to admire his leadership skills and defensive qualities, the fact is that the Welshman turns 34 years of age in August and if a new manager arrives in the summer, it is hard to see the central defender being part of his short or long-term plans.
Oumar Niasse
Niasse’s Everton career looked to be dead and buried under former boss Ronald Koeman, but the club’s failure to buy a direct Romelu Lukaku replacement during the summer has given him another opportunity to impress this term, and he has taken it with both hands.
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The 27-year-old striker has scored seven goals in 16 Premier League matches during the current campaign, and with new boy Cenk Tosun taking time to adapt to life in the English top flight he is getting plenty of game time under Allardyce, who appears to be a big fan of the Senegal international.
If the Toffees appoint a new manager in the summer and want to kick on however, they are likely to want to stick with the £27m Tosun and perhaps bring in another striker, which would likely see Niasse as the one to be moved on.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has backed his striker Moussa Dembele to make an impact on the big stages away to Rangers this Sunday at Ibrox.
What’s the story?
We’re rapidly approaching one of the most anticipated derbies in recent times between the two sides, with the prospect of a genuine Scottish Premiership title race at stake.
Celtic know that a win will all but guarantee a seventh successive league title, but, currently six points ahead of the Light Blues with a game in hand, if the gap is reduced to three points it sets up an exciting end to the season.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has appeared relaxed about the encounter in the build-up and is delighted one of his best players is reaching peak form ahead of the encounter.
As quoted by The Daily Mail, Rodgers said:
I think he is a big-game player, Moussa. The players need to do it at Celtic in every game. But certainly in those big games he has always come up trumps and shown his qualities.
I think the background noise has gone. That’s absolutely key for any player.
I think what you see is a young player free now in his mind to focus on his strengths. When he is that he is a real handful.
He was terrific in the game here against Zenit. In the game over there he played very well when the team, collectively, was not at its best.
Against Aberdeen he showed his power. And now he is just moving as I would expect.
Can the young Frenchman prove once again why he is regarded to be the best striker in Scotland?
Celtic’s key man
Dembele may not have a goal against Rangers this term, but last season made his name off the back of efforts against the Gers, scoring five in total in different competitions across the campaign.
Sunday is a tremendous opportunity to steal the spotlight in Scotland again and with three goals in his last two matches, Rodgers is correct to assert he is reaching top form once again.
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If he plays well on Sunday, it’s hard to see a path to victory for Rangers, whose fans will be hoping they can shutdown the striker just as they did the last time the two sides met.
Everton fans will never miss an opportunity to bash manager Sam Allardyce, even when he’s talking about his side’s first away win since December.
Cenk Tosun was the star of the show for Everton on Saturday, as the Turk grabbed both goals in the Toffees’ dramatic 2-1 win at Stoke City.
Allardyce claimed back in February that Tosun wasn’t playing because he was struggling with the cold, but the 26 year-old striker has since scored four goals in three games.
If he was struggling the cold, he certainly didn’t show it on Saturday as he buried two clinical poacher’s goals in the snow at Stoke.
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Everton fans have been growing increasingly frustrated not only with Big Sam’s uninspiring tactics but also his demeanour, and many are desperate for the club to replace him with Shakhtar Donetsk’s Paulo Fonseca this summer.
Allardyce hailed Tosun as a “complete finisher” in his post match comments, which has draw plenty of criticism from the Goodison faithful, who have wanted Tosun to get more minutes since he joined.
Everton have home matches against Manchester City and Liverpool after the international break, so Allardyce and the fans will at least be together in hoping the Turk continues his fantastic form.
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Some of the best Twitter reactions to Allardyce’s comments can be found below…
Chelsea face Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday in a clash that could well prove to be the final chapter in this season’s race for Champions League qualification. Although there’s still time to make amends, defeat will leave the fifth-placed Blues eight points behind the fourth-placed Lilywhites.
However, history just isn’t on Tottenham’s side here. Incredibly, they’re still yet to win a Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, a run that could extend to a staggering 26 games this weekend. Add in the lack of love lost between these two London rivals, and their latest meeting should be another enthralling encounter. So, will history repeat itself or will Spurs seal off the top four?
This week’s experts, Llion Carbis from Chelsea FanCast and The Sun’s Sean Cook, share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Sunday’s 4pm kickoff.
This rivalry has been at the forefront of English football over the last few seasons. It was Chelsea who famously ended Tottenham’s title hopes in 2015/16, while the season after saw both clubs chase the top-flight crown and meet in a thrilling FA Cup semi-final. Now they’re essentially in a shootout for Champions League qualification.
Arsenal are of course Tottenham’s historic enemies, but do you now see Chelsea as the more important rivalry?
Sean: “Whether a Spurs fan or not, there’s just something about Chelsea that is so utterly dislikable – it’s always that bit sweeter to beat a team who have bought their success. Our rivalry with them over the last few seasons has naturally intensified whilst we’ve competed for similar feats, this season being no different. True, Arsenal will always be our main rivals, but we now compete for prizes they simply aren’t capable of anymore.”
If there were any claims of Chelsea being in something of a false position right now, they were surely extinguished throughout the last few weeks. The Blues have always fared well against high-quality opposition historically, but since late January they’ve lost to Arsenal, Barcelona twice, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Does that highlight the quality Chelsea lost last summer, or have there been recurring issues during these games?
Llion: “I think it’s a combination of both. At times, our tactics have been counter-intuitive. We often adopt the false nine strategy, which isolates our most creative player (Eden Hazard) and subjects him to useless long balls. On other occasions, you can question our mentality. As I’ve mentioned previously, our confidence seems to disappear when we concede – this fragility must be addressed against the big teams. Otherwise, we’re likely to face similar outcomes to our games against Manchester City and United.”
Mauricio Pochettino faces a fair few selection dilemmas this weekend. His versatile squad is more than capable of matching up with Chelsea’s 3-4-3 system, but Tottenham have stuck with 4-2-3-1 pretty religiously in recent months and the results, losing just once across all competitions since facing Manchester City in December, speak for themselves.
On top of that, Harry Kane is a major doubt after suffering an injury prior to the international break, and Dele Alli’s suffered something of a humbling week – seemingly losing his place within the England team amid what has been a slightly underwhelming season for the youngster.
Should Pochettino match up with Chelsea’s system on Sunday?
Sean: “Despite a tease from Pochettino, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see Kane start at Stamford Bridge this weekend. As a result, sticking to 4-2-3-1 is probably the best way to go. Most of Chelsea’s creativity hails from their midfield, so making that area as congested as possible will help to keep them quiet. We proved against Bournemouth that without our star man, Heung Min-Son is more than capable of leading the line alone.”
And does Alli deserve to start?
Sean: “Starting Alli is a no-brainer for Spurs. I’m quite puzzled where all this negative press has come from lately. His place in the England team is still a guarantee, with his omission in the recent friendlies down to an injury and tactical rotation, as Gareth Southgate has said. I expect Alli to sit behind Son alongside Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen this weekend, so much so that I’d put my house on it.”
Who do you see as Tottenham’s biggest threat in the absence of Kane?
Sean: “He scored in that iconic game that was dubbed ‘the battle of the bridge’, and I’m fearful that Son could play a pivotal role on Sunday. He has contributed to 16 goals in the league this season – scoring 12 and assisting four. His dribbling ability is superb, and he runs purposefully. Moreover, his technique is faultless, and he’s a skilful player. We must be aware of the threat that he poses.”
For all the talk about tactics and systems though, sometimes matches of this importance come down to which side dominates the key individual battles. There will be plenty of those on Sunday, and we’ve seen before how fiercely contested they can be between these two sides.
Where will this game be lost and won?
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Llion: “Personally, I feel that the primary battle will take place at the heart of the pitch. If N’Golo Kante’s partner (whomever that may be) is performing to the best of his abilities, then I’m confident we can dictate proceedings in midfield. If not, then the physicality and composure of Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier could provide Spurs with the perfect platform to attack us. We must ensure that we win the physical battle, and we don’t allow their midfield partnership to determine the game’s pace and tempo.”
Sean: “The midfield battle will be key. Dembele and Dier will need to be at their very best if they’re to stop the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Willian from producing their typical brilliance. The key to keeping Spurs quiet this season has been to isolate Dembele, which only a handful of clubs have been capable of. If Chelsea can’t contain him, Spurs could be looking at a record-breaking win.”
And finally lads, let’s hear your score predictions…
Sean: “Chelsea 2-2 Spurs.”
Llion: “I hope our distinguished record will be extended. 2-1 Chelsea.”
Former Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright has said that Newcastle United is the perfect place for young players that are struggling for football at top-four clubs.
Chelsea attacker Kenedy made the switch to Newcastle in the January transfer window after failing to secure first-team football in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign.
The 22-year-old is only on loan at St James’ Park, but the club’s supporters have taken to the Brazilian, who has managed two goals and two assists in his seven Premier League appearances for Rafael Benitez’s side.
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Wright has hailed Kenedy for making the decision to join Newcastle, and has urged more players in a similar situation to follow suit.
Wright told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“For me, Newcastle is the kind of place that if you’re a young player at a club like a Chelsea or a Manchester City, I would do anything to get to somewhere like Newcastle.
“You’re playing in front of massive crowds and you’ve got the opportunity to play in the Premier League and get that kind of support and Kenedy has done it – and he’s thriving on it.”
Newcastle gave their Premier League survival hopes a huge lift by beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon. Benitez’s side currently sit in 12th position in the table – seven points clear of the relegation zone.