According to a recent report from Correire dello Sport, Fabinho could well be set for a move away from Liverpool in January. The Brazil international only made the move to Anfield back in the summer as manager Jurgen Klopp sought to improve his midfield ranks, only for the 25-year-old to struggle in his first few months on Merseysdie to call his future with the Reds into question.
And that’s because reports suggest that Italian giants AC Milan are interested in a January move for Fabinho, but given how early he is in his Liverpool career, alongside the likely need for the midfielder as the season wears on, it makes absolutely no sense at all for Klopp to let the £100,000-a-week ace (as per Spotrac) leave in the New Year.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, Klopp brought the ex-Monaco man to Anfield during the summer in a bid to add greater strength and guile to his midfield ranks, what with Emre Can leaving the club for Juventus during the close season, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set for a lengthy spell out of the side with injury.
But the 25-year-old Brazilian has found the going tough in his first few months at Liverpool in mustering just eight appearances in all competitions for Klopp’s side, only four of which have come in the Premier League in the Reds’ unbeaten start to the campaign.
And with the likes of James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Jordan Henderson doing well in the centre of midfield, Fabinho knows that he is going to have to work very hard and improve greatly if he is to command regular football at Anfield.
However, while his tally of eight appearances this term suggests a player struggling to get into the team, Klopp has now started him in each of their last three Premier League games – he’s hardly that far down the pecking order.
And while some are still unconvinced by the 25-year-old’s capabilities, given he hasn’t exactly shone in those three matches, every game he plays and completes is another game closer to Fabinho adapting to the Premier League – after all, there’s a reason Liverpool spent big money on him during the summer, and that’s because he’s a very accomplished midfielder.
And with the Reds likely to be seeking major honours as the season wears on, having a player of Fabinho’s calibre in the squad to deal with the demands of the Premier League, Champions League, and domestic cup competitions will help Klopp’s side maintain the strength needed in the first team to compete for those crowns.
Yes, things haven’t gone according to plan for the 25-year-old just yet at Anfield, but Klopp is highly unlikely to let him go in January, having spent £39 million on him little under six months ago, let alone the fact that he is an adept midfielder and one that will surely only improve the more football he plays.
As such, it would make absolutely no sense at all for Liverpool to let Fabinho go in January – just because he hasn’t produced the goods yet doesn’t mean that he won’t in time.
According to Sabah, Southampton will make a bid for Besiktas centre-back Pepe when the January transfer window opens for business.
What’s the story?
Pepe will turn 36 in the early stages of 2019, but is still going strong in the European game, having made more than 50 appearances for Besiktas since arriving from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017.
The 101-time Portugal international will see his current deal with Besiktas expire at the end of this season, however, and it is thought that the centre-back wants one more campaign at another club before hanging up his boots.
According to Sabah, Southampton tried and failed to sign Pepe during the summer, but will now launch another move in the winter transfer window.
It would be somewhat of a shock if the Saints were able to pull off a deal for the experienced defender, but it does make sense for the Premier League club.
Why should Southampton sign Pepe?
Put simply, Pepe is a winner. The centre-back won two league titles with Porto in the early stages of his career before moving to Real Madrid, where he landed three league titles, two Copa del Reys and three Champions League crowns.
Pepe also played a key role in Portugal’s success at Euro 2016, and was one of the finest defenders in world football for a long time.
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At 35, the centre-back is clearly not a long-term option for Southampton, but he has kept himself extremely fit, and would bring some much-needed quality and experience to the English club’s back-line.
Only four teams have conceded more Premier League goals than Southampton at this stage of the 2018-19 campaign, and Pepe is the type of character that the Saints will need as they battle to remain in the top flight.
To suggest that the Leeds United fans have a high opinion of Spanish attacker Pablo Hernandez would be a slight understatement.
Hernandez joined Leeds from Al-Arabi in January 2017 following a loan spell at the club, and he has scored 20 times and registered 22 assists in 91 matches for the Whites.
At 33, Hernandez is no spring chicken, but he is still a class act.
Indeed, this term, the former Valencia and Swansea City attacker has managed five goals and four assists in 10 Championship matches for a team that currently sit third in the table.
It was always going to be well-received by the Leeds faithful when Hernandez said in an interview that the Championship club ‘have the best fans’.
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The Leeds supporters usually do not need a second invitation to lavish praise on the attacker, and that was indeed the case on Wednesday night.
A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Everton manager Marco Silva has admitted that he is keen to make Andre Gomes’s loan from Barcelona permanent at the end of the season, reports the Daily Mail.
What’s the word?
The Portugal international was one of a handful of new players who moved to Goodison Park in the summer.
However, he had to wait for his chance to shine due to injury, but now that he is fit and raring to go, the midfielder has become a fan favourite.
In total, the 25-year-old has made five Premier League appearances and at the weekend he played an instrumental role in the Toffees’ 1-0 win over Cardiff City.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Silva admitted to reporters that he wants to sign Gomes permanently and hopes that Barcelona ‘forget’ about him.
Is a deal feasible?
If Gomes finishes the season as a regular in the first team and is injury-free, then it would be no surprise if he was open to moving to Goodison full time.
It is unlikely that the midfielder will break into Barca’s squad, but if he continues to impress at Everton, the Catalan giants may take a second look.
If the club opt to sell, then the Toffees will have to stump up a wad of cash given that Barcelona bought him from Valencia for £29m plus add-ons two years ago.
Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has pumped millions into the Merseyside outfit and has the money to play around with, but depending on the asking price, signing Gomes permanently could affect the rest of the club’s transfer spending.
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Along with Norwich City and Leeds United, Middlesbrough have become one of the favourites for not only promotion this season but also for the league title.
Tony Pulis has turned Boro into one of the most solid teams in the league, and as it stands they have only conceded 13 goals in the league this season – the lowest in the whole Championship.
At the weekend, Middlesbrough lost 3-0 to a high powered Villa side in what was their first loss since their 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
While they have played incredibly well throughout the season, Pulis needs reinforcements in January and in order to fund any potential deals, he has sanctioned the sales of Martin Braithwaite and Britt Assombalonga according to the Northern Echo.
The Breakdown
While their defence has been rock solid this season, Pulis’ side has struggled going forward and has only scored 22 goals this season.
Indeed, Assombalonga has only scored five goals this season in 17 appearances and just doesn’t look like a forward that suits Pulis’ direct, counter-attacking style of play. Assombalonga had a good season with the club last year as he scored 15 goals and if he is sold, there’s no doubt that he could be a superb piece of business for any other club in the league.
Braithwaite likewise doesn’t fit Pulis’ style of play and has only scored three goals this season. On the face of it, selling the duo might be seen as a huge gamble as they’re both good strikers but if they raise enough money for Pulis to bring in a replacement that fits his style, it might prove beneficial.
Life under Maurizio Sarri has transitioned far smoother than many Chelsea supporters expected. Having lost their unbeaten streak following a 3-1 London derby defeat to Tottenham, and then having lost away at Wolves, the 2-0 triumph against champions Manchester City proved to be a resounding response for Sarri’s side. Indeed, the way the Blues neutralised City, and resultantly concluded their undefeated start to the new season, served as a timely reminder of their quality.
Nonetheless, despite their clear progression under Sarri’s tutelage and the effective implementation of his footballing ideals, the Blues have yet to address their striking conundrum. In arguably Chelsea’s most significant league fixture of the season, Sarri opted to utilise Eden Hazard as a false nine and left Alvaro Morata out of the matchday squad altogether. So, is it time for Chelsea to buy a truly elite striker?
Collectively, Morata and Giroud have amassed a total of 11 goals this season, but only six of which have been scored in the league. By contrast, Aguero and Jesus have attained 17 goals this season for Manchester City, Aubameyang and Lacazette have scored 19 goals for Arsenal, while Kane and Llorente have managed 14 goals for Spurs; Chelsea’s problem is strikingly clear (pun intended).
The most frustrating aspect of all is that Morata has the potential to become a truly elite striker, it’s no coincidence that the Spaniard has represented teams of Real Madrid, Juventus and Chelsea’s pedigree. He has the ability but fails to illustrate that consistently. Perhaps it’s his mental shortcomings, or perhaps he cannot adapt to the physicality of the Premier League – regardless of the reasoning, Morata has failed to fulfil his potential in England’s top flight.
Since joining the FA Cup holders at the start of last season, Morata has amassed a decent return of 22 goals in 68 games, yet his statistics are hardly reflective of a hefty £58m investment. It seems that the 26-year-old is the best example of a confidence player; there have been countless occasions in his Chelsea career where he has missed straightforward chances through overthinking his finish. Similarly, and by no coincidence, he tends to score opportunities when he isn’t afforded ample time to contemplate the finish, such as headers.
Without question, Morata is a highly technical player, but he lacks the application and the ruthlessness to become a truly exceptional striker. One other issue that has undermined his progress at Chelsea is his infuriating tendency to be caught offside. In the Premier League this season, he has been caught offside more times than the entire Bournemouth team which is indicative of his on-field issues.
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There are two prominent concerns with Morata. Firstly, and quite obviously, he doesn’t score enough goals. Secondly, and perhaps most significantly, seldom does Morata have a good game when he doesn’t score (which happens to be often). The Spaniard has outscored his attacking counterpart Giroud this term, but the Frenchman succeeds where Morata fails, by contributing to team play.
Four goals in 17 games is a rather underwhelming return, but while lacking in the goal scoring department, the Frenchman compensates with his contributions to general play. Due to his physicality and commanding presence, the Blues have a point of reference, an outlet in which they can play from. Yet, to focus solely on his physicality negates and disregards the 32-year-old’s influence.
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For a player that is regarded as a target man, Giroud exhibits tremendous technicality, his close control and one-touch passing is utterly astounding. Correspondingly, the World Cup winner has established a nigh-on telepathic relationship with Eden Hazard, best evidenced by Chelsea’s 4-1 triumph against Cardiff City in September where the two interchanged seamlessly.
Much to the surprise of several Chelsea supporters, Giroud has demonstrated his capacity to play effectively in Sarri’s highly-technical system. However, the lack of goals remains a concern. Considering his career-long propensity of scoring goals as a substitute, perhaps Chelsea’s best option is to utilise the World Cup winner in this capacity. Where does that leave Morata?
As previously established, Morata’s quality is irrefutable, but he simply isn’t justifying the hefty investment that Chelsea made to purchase him from Real Madrid. Many will cite Didier Drogba, and rightly so, as a player who needed sufficient time to adapt before becoming one of the best strikers to grace the Premier League. That said, given the frenzied and frenetic tempo of modern-day football, patience is a scarce commodity, and clubs demand positive results, preferably instantaneously. Accordingly, it appears that Morata’s time could be drawing to a close in the Premier League, but where does that leave Chelsea?
A team of the Blues’ stature should have a striker of corresponding quality, but the January transfer window is notoriously a problematic time for clubs to conduct their business. While considering the inflated transfer fees, in an increasingly inflated market, and clubs’ reluctance to sell given the shortage of quality or/and affordable replacements, it can be a difficult period to navigate. Chelsea’s need for a forward of utmost quality is apparent, yet, how plausible is the notion that they could sign such an individual in the winter? The Blues are in desperate need of a striker as Giroud and Morata continue to hold back the team from its ultimate potential, yet their quest is entirely dependent on how savvy they can be in the new year.
Leeds United have confirmed that attacking midfielder Samuel Saiz is set to join Spanish outfit Getafe on loan in the upcoming January transfer window, with the switch likely to be made permanent at the end of the season.
A report in the Yorkshire Evening Post suggests that Leeds have allowed the Spaniard to leave Elland Road for personal reasons, as he felt unsettled in England and wished to return to his home city of Madrid.
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Whilst it is admirable of the club to accept these demands, should Marcelo Bielsa’s side fail to sustain their current promotion push, then the decision to allow their talented playmaker to leave in the winter will be looked back upon as a mind-blowing misstep by chairman Andrea Radrizzani.
The Whites will certainly have to replace Saiz in January, as they cannot do without his creativity and technical ability throughout the remainder of the gruelling Championship campaign.
After the club made the announcement, many Leeds fans took to Twitter to react to the news…
In the end, it was a comfortable win for Manchester City after they beat Everton 3-1 in their last Premier League outing at the Etihad.
However, things could have so easily been different with the Toffees being a presented with some very good chances on the day.
Richarlison, in particular, had two opportunities to find the back of the net, yet failed to even test Ederson with his efforts — and that really is not good enough given his ability as a player.
For those who have been following the Brazilian closely since he arrived in England last year, though, Saturday’s performance may not have come as a surprise.
At Watford in the previous season, Richarlison was extremely wasteful in a 4-2 away defeat to Chelsea in a performance that was almost identical to his recent one at the Etihad, and it epitomised most of his displays against the Premier League top six so far.
With all of that being said, it is important to remember that Richarlison is still quite young and has not been playing at this level for long. And with the threat he carries in attack, it should only be a matter of time before the Brazil international really stamps his authority in a game of massive magnitude.
For Everton, it is Tottenham up next when Mauricio Pochettino takes his side to Goodison Park, providing Richarlison with the perfect opportunity to do the above.
As we approach the January transfer window, rumours will swirl over who the club needs to and will bring in to try and keep Arsenal in the hunt for the top four.
With the number of injuries at the back, Unai Emery needs to bring in some defensive reinforcements to help stabilise the back four. Both Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin were huge losses to Emery as both payers were just starting to put together a brilliant run of form. After both their careers had slightly stagnated last season, it seemed as though Emery had just started to tap into the huge potential of the two players.
Going forward, Arsenal also lack depth on the wing but the biggest problem facing Emery is the situation of Mesut Ozil. The German has only played 11 times in the league and was used as a substitute against Southampton and was also dropped in their recent EFL Cup loss to Spurs.
Following that game, Ray Parlour has admitted that Emery is trying not to repeat the mistake he made at PSG with Neymar.
The Breakdown
One of the biggest problems at PSG during Emery’s tenure at the club wasn’t so much to do with his tactics but more with his ability to handle the egos of the big stars, namely Neymar.
It’s unsure what is going on behind the scenes at the club but so far this season it looks as though Emery is making sure that Ozil doesn’t cost him his job like Neymar did.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Newcastle are one of a host of European top flight clubs keen on a move for red-hot Kasimpasa hitman, Mbaye Diagne, as they look to ease the goalscoring burden on Salomon Rondon.
The 27-year-old has scored an incredible 20 goals in 17 games in the Super Lig this season and, as a result, has garnered interest from a number of sides who are willing to offer him a chance at one of the top five leagues – the striker has previously plied his trade in the Hungarian and Saudi leagues, to name just two.
Unlike Diagne, the Magpies have struggled to find the net this season and have relied heavily on West Brom loanee Rondon to deliver the goods, with other options Joselu and Yoshinori Muto struggling in front of goal.
However, with Mike Ashley still in the driving seat, the funds available to Rafa Benitez this month will surely remain small so any deals will have to be done on the cheap. Will Kasimpasa let their star man go for an Ashley-approved fee?
Some of these Newcastle fans certainly don’t think so, while others feel the club should even be more ambitious – you can check out the best of the reaction on Twitter below…
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