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With deals for Lucas Digne, Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen completed so far in this current January transfer window, Aston Villa have not been reluctant in bringing new players in to help strengthen Steven Gerrard’s side.

However, it seems as though one reported transfer target may not be making the move to Villa Park anytime soon.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports (via Birmingham Live), despite recent reports from elsewhere suggesting otherwise, Villa are apparently not interested in signing Atletico Madrid and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

In 682 club appearances throughout his career, the 34-year-old has managed to rack up an impressive 433 goals and 240 assists, proving himself as one of the deadliest strikers over the past few years.

A big mistake for Lange

During his time at Liverpool where he played 95 games alongside Gerrard, Suarez made a total of 113 appearances across all competitions, scoring 82 goals and providing 47 assists along the way, showing the sort of Premier League experience that he’d be able to offer this Villa side as well as a winning mentality having taken home numerous trophies in his career.

Taking into account what Suarez would be able to offer Villa on and off the pitch under Gerrard’s management, it could be a real mistake for Johan Lange if he refuses to work out a deal to bring the Uruguay international back to the Premier League with the Midlands club.

Even though he would become Villa’s second-oldest player below Ashley Young if he were to join either this month or in the next summer transfer window when his current contract at Atletico runs out, it could well be worth the risk if Gerrard can get the best from him, scoring goals for Villa on a regular basis as he did during his Liverpool days.

If by the time the summer transfer window opens and Villa aren’t satisfied with having just Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings as their senior strike options, they should definitely reconsider their current apparent stance on Suarez and see if he would be willing to make a return to the Premier League under his former teammate.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

Wolves manager Bruno Lage must keep winger Adama Traore at the club beyond the upcoming January window, with the Spaniard linked with a potential move to fellow Premier League outfit Leeds United as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid.

What’s the story?

Although Leeds are reportedly interested in Traore, Eurosport journalist Dean Jones has claimed that their “budget won’t be able to stretch to Traore” and a swoop for the Spaniard may have to be waited for until the summer.

As for Real, the Barcelona youth product has reportedly expressed his desire to return to his homeland and his agent has already contacted the Spanish giants.

With potential suitors elsewhere, it does beg the question as to whether or not the West Midlands club should hold onto a player that, on one side is yet to score this season, but on the other has previously received top praise, with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once labelling the 25-year-old as “a motorcycle.”

Wolves should keep Traore

It would be a disaster if Wolves allowed Traore to leave Molineux next month. The statistics don’t support that claim, with zero goals or assists in the Premier League so far this term. However, the Spaniard offers Lage plenty of pace and physicality, traits that the Portuguese’s squad isn’t necessarily blessed with.

Moreover, it isn’t as though the £27m-rated talisman is failing to bag in a high-scoring outfit, in fact, Wolves are the English top-flight’s second-lowest scorers with just 12 goals in 16 matches. Granted, Traore hasn’t contributed any of them and that is of course where he will have to improve.

We have seen what the 25-year-old is capable of before though, particularly in the 2019/20 season where he was “thrilling.”

That campaign saw Traore score a career-best four Premier League goals, three of which being against Manchester City.

You don’t go on to make over 100 Premier League appearances for a club without talent. Yes, it’s clear in which department Traore must improve but, given that his side are seriously struggling to score goals, Lage must keep the winger at Molineux for the remainder of the season at the very least.

After all, in the words of Tim Sherwood, he is a player who “destroys anyone.”

Liverpool are more likely to sign Renato Sanches than Florian Neuhaus in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Liverpool linked with Sanches

The Reds didn’t make any midfield additions last summer, with centre-back Ibrahima Konate the only arrival and Gini Wijnaldum not replaced in the middle of the park.

One player who was linked with a move to Anfield was Sanches, having impressed for Portugal at Euro 2020 and won the Ligue 1 title with Lille last season.

The 24-year-old, winner of the European Golden Boy award in 2016, is contracted to Les Dogues on a £47,000-per-week deal until 2023, so Lille may be keen to receive a fee for him this year.

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The Latest: Romano makes fresh claim

Speaking to Anfield Watch, Romano claimed that Sanches is a more viable option for Liverpool than Borussia Monchengladbach’s Neuhaus moving forward.

He revealed: “Florian Neuhaus is having talks with his agent, but nothing else at the moment. So for sure Renato Sanches has always been higher on Liverpool’s list than Neuhaus.”

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The Verdict: Too injury-prone

While Sanches possesses huge amounts of natural talent and an ability to break the lines in midfield – he has averaged 2.6 dribbles per game in the league this season, far better than Mo Salah’s 1.9 per game as the market leader in this regard at Anfield – he is also an injury-prone figure.

The Portuguese gem has never started more than 16 league games in a season in his career, so it is hard to see Jurgen Klopp justifying a move for him.

The Liverpool manager already has injury-plagued midfielders in Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Naby Keita, highlighting the need for signing a more robust operator in the mould of Wijnaldum, who was almost ever-present during his five years at the club.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to a Reds exit rumour. Read more here.

Having been winless in their last three games, Southampton went into Saturday afternoon’s home clash against fellow south coast side Brighton hopeful for their first win in almost a month.

The Saints had impressed in midweek as they took the lead twice against Leicester City at St Mary’s, but couldn’t secure a victory over the Foxes with Jonny Evans and James Maddison scoring in reply.

However, with Brighton winless in nine top-flight matches, a run which started back in September, it appeared the ideal opportunity for the Saints to record a fourth league win of the season.

All was going to plan when Armando Broja’s cool finish gave Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men a deserved 1-0 lead going into half-time, with the score arguably flattering the visitors. However, Neal Maupay’s 98th-minute tap-in secured a dramatic point for Albion which saw Southampton lose points from a winning position yet again.

Despite the draw, there was one man who deserved plaudits for the Saints, namely Nathan Redmond.

Today saw the winger become the first Southampton player to register an assist in four consecutive Premier League home games, as well as becoming the first to do so in the English top flight since Kevin De Bruyne in October 2019.

The 27-year-old’s flick-on proved vital as Broja latched onto the pass to coolly finish past Robert Sanchez in the Brighton goal in the 29th minute.

Throughout the contest, the £16.2m-rated man was a livewire for the hosts, constantly looking to get the ball forward. In fact, he produced two key passes and had a 63% pass completion rate.

Realistically, the Saints should’ve had the game wrapped up before the Seagulls’ equaliser. According to SofaScore, Hasenhuttl’s side managed four shots on target as well as a further six off target and four blocked.

Yet again, it’s an opportunity missed for Southampton, but Redmond once again proved his value to the side and will surely continue to be a regular in the Austrian’s plans.

Everton have suffered another injury setback in their preparation for their Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea this evening.

What’s the word?

In Wednesday’s press conference, Rafa Benitez revealed several players have joined the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Yerry Mina and Tom Davies on the club’s treatment table after picking up fresh issues.

The most concerning of all, though, will be the setback key forward Richarlison has incurred, with a calf problem set to keep him sidelined for Everton’s trip to west London.

“Richarlison is injured maybe because of overload,” confirmed Benitez. “We don’t have too many, now we are trying to manage the problems of the past. As soon as we have key players injured, we have problems.”

The Spanish tactician then provided concerning updates over the status of experienced trio Lucas Digne, Andros Townsend and Seamus Coleman.

Benitez said: “Lucas Digne is a good player, an important player for us. Yesterday we did a training session where he was in the 11 starters, today he said he’s ill and he’s not available for tomorrow.

“In terms of time, no (updates). Townsend has a broken bone, in terms of Seamus he was pushing. He has a swollen foot, we are assessing him and will decide tomorrow.”

Everton fans will be devastated

News that Richarlison will be unavailable for selection against Chelsea will leave Benitez and the supporters feeling devastated, given his importance to the first-team and the current injury saga engulfing the club.

In his 11 top-flight appearances this term, the Brazil international has bagged three goals and provided two assists, including pivotal strikes in victories over Southampton and Arsenal.

And his underlying numbers are further evidence of Richarlison’s influence over Benitez’s struggling side.

As per WhoScored, the South American has averaged 1.5 shots per league game, 1.2 key passes and 0.8 dribbles, while also winning 1.5 aerial duels.

What makes things worse is Calvert-Lewin’s absence and Salomon Rondon’s struggles in front of goal too. The Venezuelan did find the net at Selhurst Park, but he had failed to score in the royal blue before that clash, leading us to believe that Everton could be in bother in offensive areas on Thursday evening.

Therefore, the 24-year-old’s enforced absence will be another significant blow for Everton as they attempt to turn their season around, leaving Benitez with few options in the final third of the pitch.

And, in other news…Imagine him & DCL: Benitez must seal Everton swoop for “unbelievable” 52-goal animal

Tottenham could sign Antonio Conte’s new N’Golo Kante in Juventus star Weston McKennie.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent months had claimed that the Bianconeri would be willing to let the USA international go in the summer, with “strong interest” from both Spurs and fellow Premier League club Aston Villa.

Italian publication Calciomercato have now claimed that the Lilywhites, led by transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have reignited their interest in the midfielder, with Juventus still willing to part ways with him.

Conte’s new Kante

The last time Conte was in the Premier League, he had a successful stint at Spurs’ London rivals Chelsea, leading them to the Premier League title with his favoured back-three formation.

Part of that team’s success came from the incredible midfield work that Kante got through in the midfield engine room, with the Blues ace playing more games under Conte than any other manager in his professional career (89).

The title-winning 2016/17 campaign saw him average a whopping 3.6 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game in the Premier League, and Conte will be looking to find his own Kante now at Spurs. In McKennie, he could find exactly that.

USA legend Alexi Lalas has already drawn comparisons between McKennie and Kante, saying: “He could be a new Gattuso for Pirlo, who played with the original and knows how important it was for the balance of that AC Milan (team).

“McKennie has something of Gattuso but also of (N’Golo) Kante and (Arturo) Vidal. As they say here: beauty and the beast both serve to win.  And McKennie, as well as a conqueror of balls, also has excellent skills in the construction of the game and with his head he is always dangerous.”

Hailed as a “leader” by David Wagner, the American’s performances in the Bundesliga for Schalke earned him a high-profile move to Juventus, where his former boss Andrea Pirlo was a big fan of the 23-year-old.

Calling him a “rock”, the Italy icon added: “He’s young and can improve a lot. In my opinion, he’s a midfielder who can play as a No 8 in a three in midfield, right or left. He gets in the box and scores goals but he’s also very good at winning the ball back.

“His role is in a three in midfield as one of the two players on either side of the regista. Last year we played in a different system, so he had to adapt.”

As per WhoScored, McKennie has an impressive career average of 1.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, while also managing just under one shot and key pass per match – a real indication of how he could be used not only as a midfield destroyer, but as a more box-to-box threat too.

The “outstanding” £22.5m-rated star’s prospective arrival would surely have Spurs fans buzzing, and give Conte someone around whom he could build his midfield like he did with Kante at Chelsea.

Meanwhile, this Spurs star was disappointing against Vitesse…

With Liverpool set to take on Arsenal when the Premier League returns this weekend, it seems as though the Reds could be without left-back Andy Robertson for the upcoming clash after journalist James Pearce revealed that there is a 50/50 chance the defender will be fit enough to play after picking up a hamstring issue while away with Scotland on international duty.

Taking this into account, if Robertson ends up not being fit enough to start against Mikel Arteta’s side, who are currently just two points below Liverpool in the league table, Liverpool have the ideal replacement for him at the ready that Klopp must turn to this weekend.

On the chalkboard

Even though Robertson has played 12 games across all competitions so far this season, providing two assists in the process, Kostas Tsimikas has shown that he is capable of filling in for Robertson when called upon by providing two assists in eight appearances this season.

Tsimikas’ previous appearance for Liverpool in their 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League saw the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, put in an impressive display and show Klopp what he’s capable of.

From an attacking point of view, Tsimikas managed to make four key passes, create three big chances, complete four accurate crosses and one successful dribble.

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The full-back also didn’t shirk away from his defensive duties in the match against Diego Simeone’s side by making one tackle, one clearance and winning five of the ten duels he was involved in.

Overall, this performance earned Tsimikas, who Klopp has praised for the “quality” the defender has, a solid overall match rating of 8/10 according to SofaScore, showing that he has what it takes to step up to the plate when given the chance to do so.

Looking ahead to the Arsenal match, if Robertson doesn’t end up being 100% fit in time, then Klopp should have no issue in picking Tsimikas in his starting XI and the Liverpool fans should have no concerns that the Greek international won’t be able to put in a good shift for the Reds.

Either way, with Liverpool picking up their first defeat of the season in their previous league game in the 3-2 loss against West Ham United before the international break and the fact that Arsenal have the chance of leapfrogging Liverpool in the table if they manage to secure a win at Anfield, this will certainly be a big match for Klopp that they will not want to lose.

In other news: FSG could seal Klopp’s dream transfer with swoop for “undefendable” £27m-rated machine – opinion

As shared by The Evening Standard, West Ham United boss David Moyes has been dealt a blow for Thursday evening with defender Vladimir Coufal still out of action.

The Lowdown: Coufal ‘discomfort’…

The Czech Republic star, who has been a revelation since his 2020 move from Slavia Prague, missed West Ham’s last Premier League game away to Everton due to injury.

Moyes, providing a cryptic update on Coufal’s condition after their 1-0 win at Goodison Park, revealed that he missed the trip due to ‘discomfort’ he has been carrying for a ‘few weeks’ (West Ham Zone).

The Latest: Coufal set to miss Genk…

While the Scotsman didn’t provide an update on the right-back in his pre-Europa League press conference yesterday, a report from The Evening Standard has shared his condition.

According to their confirmed team news and injuries piece, Coufal is indeed still out and set to miss tonight’s highly-anticipated clash at the London Stadium.

They say he is still nursing the groin injury and Moyes will also have to cope without summer signing Alex Kral, who has come down with COVID-19, and potentially Ryan Fredericks too, who is a doubt.

The Verdict: Blow for Moyes…

After winning their first two matches, West Ham could take one giant leap towards finishing top of Group H with another victory tonight.

If Moyes’ men can secure top spot, they would immediately qualify for the post-Christmas round of 16 as per the new Europa League format.

Tonight certainly comes as a big occasion in east London and losing Coufal through injury is undoubtedly a blow, especially considering he was a key player last season and lauded as ‘absolutely sensational’ by Stuart Pearce (Super Six Podcast via HITC).

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘No brainer’…West Ham fans excited as contact made to sign ‘big’ striker, find out more here.

Leeds United are eyeing a transfer swoop for Reading midfielder John Swift, and he could be a massive upgrade on Tyler Roberts.

What’s the story?

According to The Sheffield Star, Marcelo Bielsa’s side, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Brentford, have got their eye on the attacking midfielder,

He’s a huge Roberts upgrade

With no goals or assists in 12 games in all competitions this season, it’s safe to say Roberts’ start to the current campaign has been nothing short of disastrous.

In fact, with a measly record of just eight goals in 94 games, the 22-year-old hasn’t shown anything like the kind of form that would suggest he’s going to develop into a real attacking force for the Whites.

Swift on the other hand has a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield unlike the Welshman, managing an impressive 62 goal contributions in 178 games – in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has actually been quite incredible, netting eight goals in 14 matches in the Championship as well as chipping in with six assists too.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager, Veljko Paunovic, said: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

That ability to come from deep and find the back of the net – he’s scored 40 senior goals in his professional career thus far – would add a different dimension to Leeds’ side.

The £3.6m-rated star is exactly what Bielsa needs at Elland Road to take goal-scoring burden off Bamford and add far more of a threat than Roberts.

Meanwhile, Leeds must avoid a major howler with this star…

Some Manchester United fans have been left slamming the display of Bruno Fernandes in the first half of their game against Aston Villa at Saturday lunchtime.

Although the Portugal international showed his class with some wonderful passes at times, some members of the Old Trafford faithful were left disappointed by a few of his efforts on goal.

Fernandes squandered a good chance within the first few minutes of the match, and put one of his freekicks straight into the wall, leaving some Red Devils supporters questioning why Cristiano Ronaldo is not taking them over him.

Nonetheless, the 27-year-old knows he can certainly do better, with no fewer than four goals already in the Premier League so far this season before today’s fixture (Transfermarkt), and will be hoping to grab a goal in the second half.

Man Utd fans on Fernandes display

These MUFC fans slammed his performance in the first half on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is ‘horrible’ at set pieces:

“Bruno Fernandes is a very ordinary footballer, I feel, and most importantly, it has taken me a fair amount of time to realise that. Bruno footballing IQ<<<“

Credit: @angryplasticgod

“Fernandes and Ronaldo over a freekick is just a terrible combination. You know they’re both gonna miss.”

Credit: @Dips_bytheway

“Fernandes needs to quit playing. Ronaldo should be on freekicks”

Credit: @Utdskipper

“Fernandes, come on.”

Credit: @PhiloeEsq

“So stupid from Bruno”

Credit: @chaviedon_

“Bruno is horrible with set pieces. Bro”

Credit: @trei_bie

In other news, find out what transfer news has Red Devils buzzing here!