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Liverpool’s summer chase of Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara has stalled a bit as of late. The main reason behind that is money. Of course, it’s not that the Reds don’t want the Spaniard but despite his contract slowly but surely running down, the Bavarians are still demanding a respectable sum of money.

The player may very well be worth it but Jurgen Klopp believes that €30m (£27.3m) is not what he can offer right now for the Spanish midfielder. However, there is one thing that just might help him raise the necessary funds to get that deal over the line.

According to a report from Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, the new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has placed Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum ‘very high’ on his transfer wishlist.

Klopp’s midfielder has only a year left on his contract and it seems his compatriot is urging him not to extend and rather make a switch to the Camp Nou. Of course, the Reds wouldn’t exactly get a lot of money for the 29-year-old but it could still be a boost in their chase of Thiago.

Wijnaldum and Koeman also have a good relationship since they have worked together at the Dutch national team. Koeman feels like Gini could be a good partner for Frenkie de Jong in the middle of the park, making this transfer a real possibility.

Verdict

Wijnaldum has grown immensely in the last seasons at Anfield. Now, he’s a more well-rounded midfielder and definitely a big asset for Klopp. However, with only a year left on his contract and 29 already on his back, now would be the time to cash in.

Besides, that transfer could very well give the Premier League champions the funds they are currently missing to sign Thiago. It’s a win-win scenario for all parties involved.

Let’s see if the German coach decides to pull the trigger.

Liverpool fans may have been handed a huge boost ahead of their lunchtime clash at Goodison Park. Thiago Alcantara has tweeted a match day image, featuring a picture of himself as the Reds prepare to visit their neighbours in a bid to resurrect their winning form.

The recent Anfield signing has made just one appearance for his new club so far. He was recently reported to have tested positive for Covid-19 and missed the Aston Villa match along with Sadio Mane. Liverpool were handed a huge defeat and were left to mull over their 7-2 spanking on the journey back to Merseyside.

Merseyside boost for Liverpool

After returning to training, Thiago is available for selection this afternoon and could make his return against the club’s bitter rivals. As it stands, Everton top the Premier League table after their perfect start to the season. Liverpool’s recent loss sees them three points behind, but they could pull level with a win at Goodison Park. Jurgen Klopp will need all hands on deck to snub the Toffees in their neck of the woods.

The versatile midfielder played just 45 minutes against Chelsea last month but could be called upon to start the match. Naby Keita is not available for selection meaning Thiago could play alongside skipper Jordan Henderson, who has been impressing in his recent England performances.

The two-time Champions League winner maintained 90% passing accuracy in Liverpool’s win over Frank Lampard’s side. He also made one key pass and was successful in ten of his 12 attempted long balls (via Sofascore).

With Mane back and a strong midfield equipped, the Reds will be eager to get themselves onto the front foot at Goodison. Everton, who know their neighbours’ threat on the counter-attack, may play a more reserved game this afternoon. If this is the case, Thiago’s creative passes and long balls could be the answer to unlocking a tight Carlo Ancelotti defence and chipping away for three points.

In other news, Predicted XI: Liverpool to field strong lineup in mission to upset Everton…

Newcastle United fans have been itching for the report from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be released regarding the body’s ruling on on whether the government of Saudi Arabia have been involved in the illegal streaming of sports events, such as games from the English Premier League.

However, members of the Toon faithful shall wait no further as the report was officially released and is readily available to be viewed by all Newcastle supporters here.

As per ChronicleLive, Saudi Arabia was accused of failing to ‘provide adequate protection of intellectual property rights held by or applied for entities based in Qatar’.

This in turn refers to the blocking of the television channel beIN SPORTS, for whom former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys now works. The Middle Eastern country was also accused of blocking links to beoutQ, a pirate pay TV broadcaster that was illegally showing matches from England’s top flight.

The WTO confirmed to ChronicleLive on Monday that the report would only be released when it had been circulated and translated to all of its members, of which there are 164 in total. Nevertheless, this report is now available and free to view, as some key conclusions were drawn by the organisation on the accusations made.

In a summary of the conclusions, Saudi Arabia has not taken the measures deemed necessary to tackle beoutQ, specifically pointing at the country’s ‘non-application of criminal procedures and penalties to beoutQ.’

Essentially, the report has said that the Kingdom breached rules on the protection of intellectual property because they failed to take actions against a pirate broadcaster operating openly in their country.

However, the key thing to note is that the proposed takeover of the Magpies was not mentioned at all in the report, and it is not yet clear what the future holds for the Tyneside club.

Geordies, what do you make of the report from the WTO? Comment below with your views!

Ever since Luis Campos opened up on his admiration and respect for Jose Mourinho last year, speculation has been rampant that Lille’s current sporting director could make the leap to the Premier League to join forces with his great friend at Tottenham, with Canal+ even reporting that he could do so this summer.

As quoted by Sky Sports, Campos said back in October: “Mourinho is like a brother to me. I know him very well and for a long time. He’s a wonderful person and the best coach in the world. So, of course, if he called me I would speak.”

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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For those who aren’t aware of the kind of genius that the Portuguese man possesses, then look no further than his work at AS Monaco and Lille. The likes of Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Anthony Martial, Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen all arrived under his watch, with everyone barring the latter leaving for the Premier League for big sums of money.

Campos has the kind of Midas touch in the transfer market that should greatly appeal to someone like Daniel Levy. The Spurs chairman is notoriously frugal with his spending, and maximising profit at all turns. Bringing in someone like the 55-year-old could ensure the north London side unearth some of world football’s hidden gems at a fraction of the price they will eventually be worth.

Not only would make it even more sense in the current climate given that clubs are unlikely to splash big money anytime soon, but he would be working alongside with Mourinho, a man that he has publicly admitted to having a great relationship with.

Having a tandem like that working in harmony could bring rich rewards to Spurs both on and off the pitch.

So whilst the future of Harry Kane may dominate the headlines this summer about whether he will end up staying, it’s perhaps just as equally important for Spurs in the long-run that they bring in Campos. The Portuguese man could help transform the Lilywhites into competing at the top of the table even without being the biggest spenders like some of their rivals.

Prior to the suspension of football in the United Kingdom back in March, things were actually going rather well for Leeds United.

After the agony of missing out on promotion last time out, the Yorkshire side had once again put themselves in the position to challenge for an automatic promotion place with just nine matches to play.

However, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been asked to wait a little longer before they can look to secure their return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

With a seven-point gap to third-placed Fulham and a favourable run-in including fixtures against Luton Town, Charlton Athletic and Barnsley, Leeds remain one of the favourites for promotion, but the effects of football behind closed doors and the time away from the pitch is not yet fully understood.

Here, we look into six statistics from Leeds’ season so far in an attempt to refresh our memories ahead of the return of Championship football…

Possession based Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa is renowned for favouring a high-intensity possession-based style of play and that has certainly been the case so far this season at Leeds.

The Elland Road side have averaged 60.1% from their 37 games so far this season, which is better than any other side in the division.

Third-place Fulham are second on this list, with 58.8%.

Football on the floor

With an average of just 16.9 per match, no Championship side has won fewer aerial duels than Leeds this season.

As is perhaps illustrated by their impressive possession numbers, Leeds prefer to play the ball on the floor, while replacing Pontus Jansson with the smaller but technical Ben White could also have played a part.

Jansson wins on average 3.4 aerial duels per match, compared with White’s 2.8.

Deadly on the counter

With plenty of speed in the shape of Helder Costa, Jack Harrison and Pablo Hernandez, Leeds have been very effective on the counter this season.

Alongside Hull City, their total of six counter-attack goals is the best in the league and has shown that they do not solely rely on a possession-based style to break down their opposition.

They are much less threatening from set-pieces though, with the second-fewest set-piece goals in the league.

Own goals

Leeds have benefited from a staggering six own goals this season, two more than any other side.

While Patrick Bamford has been criticised for his lack of incisiveness in front of goal, it is clear that they have been putting the ball in dangerous areas, as shown by the fact that they have scored the fourth-most goals in the league this season.

Old flame burns strong

At 35 years old, Pablo Hernandez is likely coming towards the end of a long and storied career.

However, it appears Bielsa has got the best out of him with the Spaniard managing six goals and six assists from his 25 starts so far this year.

While the likes of Jack Harrison and Helder Costa have offered him competition, his 2.3 key passes-per-match and 56.6 passes-per-match see him leading all Leeds other attackers.

Bamford’s importance

A player that divides opinion among Leeds fans, Bamford remains Leeds’ primary goal threat.

With 13 league goals so far, his seven strikes clear of Hernandez and own goals who are tied for second place.

The loans of Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin have not worked out, and it is likely that Bamford will have to continue in his lone centre-forward role.

Throughout the Premier League era and especially after the takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, Manchester City have made some wonderful signings.

Just think about the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero; but what of the lesser remember names that represent some of City’s not-so-successful business in the last 27 years?

Pep Guardiola rarely gets it wrong, to be fair, but there have been many occasions over the years where Man City have spent money, often massive amounts, on bang average footballers.

So we’ve recalled the Citizens’ 20 worst signings of the Premier League era so far -agree?

Maicon

First up is Brazil legend Maicon who would have perhaps have gone down as a completely different signing had the Sky Blues captured him four or five years earlier.

When the right-back arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2012 for £3m, still a fair sum of money back then, he was the wrong side of 30 and beginning to battle with repeated injuries.

He would only appear 13 times before being shifted onto Roma a year later.

Bernardo Corradi

Would it be fair to say that Man City’s current Bernando (Silva) was inspired by his club’s Bernando from a decade before (Corradi)? No, probably not.

The hot-headed former Italy international striker was signed by Stuart Pearce prior to the 2006/2007 campaign and lasted just one term in Manchester before his loaning out to Parma and subsequent departure the following summer, scoring just three goals and collecting two red cards.

Nolito

Pep Guardiola’s Citizens forked out the best part of £15m for a Spanish centre-forward in his pomp in the summer of 2016, Nolito – a year later the Spanish international was to return to his homeland with Sevilla.

In reality, the former Barcelona man, who impressed at EURO 2016, never adapted to the English game or way of life, infamously commenting not long before his City exit that he and his family had changed colour due to the lack of sunshine in England’s climate.

Roque Santa Cruz

Early in the reign of what is now known as the City Football Group, the east Manchester outfit were like a teenager after just receiving their first pay packet, splashing their cash on any old thing just because it’s their money and they can.

The £17.5m acquisition Roque Santa Cruz is certainly an example of that having been purchased based on a half-decent scoring record at Blackburn Rovers and a grand total of four goals for the Etihad side goes down as one of their worst PL era signings.

Christian Negouai

How could we not include in this list the only player in Premier League history to have been sent off in his only match in the league?

The great irony here is that Christian Negouai only made 11 appearances in total for the club but he somehow managed to get himself sent off on three occasions, with the other two coming in the League Cup and the FA Cup.

Jack Rodwell

Last seen refusing to give up his extortionate contract on the Sunderland documentary on Netflix, Jack Rodwell was one of the rising stars of English football when he swapped Merseyside for east Manchester in 2012 in a deal worth £12m.

But injuries limited the ex-England central midfielder to just 15 outings in his first season with the Citizens and even fewer the following term meant he was offloaded to the Stadium of Light after just two years, leaving the Etihad in a downward spiral in such contrast to the way he had arrived.

Laurent Charvet 

The story of Laurent Charvet is rather similar to that of Rodwell; captured for big money after a couple of impressive seasons in England and moved on after two campaigns having barely made 25 appearances.

The right-back was simply never up to the task, utterly woeful, and the fact that he was deemed not even good enough to play for Sochaux in the year after his City exit says it all really.

Gerry Creaney

City fans might well want to look away for this one.

Imagine swapping one of your best players and fan favourites in Paul Walsh for someone as ineffective as Gerry Creaney, and also paying £500k for the pleasure, well that’s exactly what City did in 1995 and three years and four outbound loans down the line Creaney was released!

Jo

Talking of shocking moves, this one is up there with one of the worst transfers of all time in world football, let alone just for City and in the Premier League era.

Jo, who’s somehow played 20 times for Brazil and scored a few goals as well, signed for a fee believed to be a club-record £19m from CSKA Moscow in the 2008 summer transfer window and the Sky Blues certainly got value for money, if you count that as a miserly six goals in 42 games.

Jerome Boateng

On paper, Jerome Boateng was a huge waste of money for Man City but in reality, the move could have paid off if they were a little more patient with him.

Roberto Mancini saw his potential whilst he was playing for Hamburg, though the centre-back only remained under his reign for one injury-affected season and played out of position at right-back for most of it.

Nowadays we, of course, know Bayern Munich’s Boateng as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and seven-time Bundesliga-winning global star.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, several of Europe’s top clubs are taking a look at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ young prospect Owen Otasowie after his performance for the U23 squad in the Premier League International Cup last week.

It could well be a hint towards a challenging future, especially in the grand scheme of meeting Fosun’s long-term ambitions for the club.

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What’s the word?

The report suggests that Arsenal, Liverpool, Schalke, and Paris Saint-Germain are tracking the centre-back after his role in the 1-1 draw with the French giants.

Otasowie has played only six times for the U23s this campaign in the Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy, averaging just over 30 minutes per game.

He can also play in defensive midfield while he is yet to commit to any one of three possible nations as he is eligible to play for England, Nigeria, and the United States.

To make matters worse, his contract is reportedly set to expire at the end of this current campaign, which would mean Wolves are at risk of losing him for mere compensation.

Victim of your own success

The ownership at Wolves, Fosun, have a clear goal set out for the future of the club. It is no secret. They want to start producing talent themselves. To build from within.

Significant investment was put into the academy setup over the summer as they brought in a whole host of names to strengthen their young playing squad.

However, for all of its positives, their increased success only brings about an unwanted spotlight on the players they are trying to breed through the system.

It’s quite a paradoxical situation when you’re trying to achieve something good, but you’re only hindering the true aim by doing so.

Fosun’s task at hand is only going to get more difficult, the better Wolves do.

Otasowie isn’t the first emerging prospect linked with an exit – Chem Campbell attracted the interest from a trio of German clubs not too long ago.

Wolves could well become a victim of their own success.

Meanwhile, Wolves must steer clear of this Jorge Mendes client…

Manchester City fans have stood by Bernardo Silva after the winger refused to speak in his post-match interview with Sky Sports.

Silva was involved heavily throughout the defeat at Anfield, which now leaves the champions trailing Liverpool by nine points.

As the game got off to it’s expected frantic start, a deflection off of Silva was seen to hit the hand of Trent Alexander-Arnold inside the penalty area.

This resulted in immediate protests from himself and Sergio Aguero, but both were ignored by referee Michael Oliver and the officials. To make matters worse, Fabinho would go onto score at the other end for the home side moments later, resulting in frenzied reactions from Pep Guardiola and his men.

After the game, Silva, who signed for the club for £43m in 2017, was asked by Sky Sports about the handball, to which he replied: “If I speak, I will be in trouble. I don’t want to speak.”

Just last month the Portugal international was charged with misconduct by the FA, after a tweet he sent to Benjamin Mendy, which the FA deemed a breach of FA Rule E3.

Now, it seems Silva is reluctant to talk about the potential handball situation, to which the City fans have got behind him.

One fan said it was a “clear and obvious” penalty, whilst many other supporters have alluded to the belief that the players are scared to talk now.

Here’s what the fans have had to say after Silva’s interview…

According to Football Insider, West Ham United want to sign a new goalkeeper in January and will target a player ‘with Premier League experience’.

Lukasz Fabianski’s hip injury means that Roberto has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks, and the Spaniard’s performances have not gone down well with the fans.

Roberto is expected to keep his spot between the sticks for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, much to the annoyance of the supporters.

However, according to Football Insider, the Hammers will be in the market for a new goalkeeper at the start of 2020.

The report claims that the London club do not believe that Adrian was adequately replaced during the summer and will attempt to correct the issue in January.

A number of West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to the speculation.

And it would be fair to say that a number have seen the funny side, picking out David James, Rob Green, Kyle Walker and Neville Southall as potential arrivals.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Former Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton believes that John Terry is having a major impact in his role as a coach at the Premier League club.

The former Chelsea and England centre-back joined the Villans as part of Dean Smith’s backroom staff in 2018 after finishing his playing career (BBC Sport).

Hutton would have worked closely with Terry last season as he was still a player at Villa Park, and he has claimed that his influence on the training pitch will help the likes of Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels.

The ex-Tottenham right-back believes that sometimes teams encourage defenders to play out from the back too much, whereas Terry and Aston Villa are telling their centre-backs that there is a time and place for that and also to simply put the ball into the stands and clear the danger.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton said: “Sometimes I think teams get wrapped up with: ‘We must play every single time,’ and ultimately you get in trouble doing things like that.

“Like Tyrone (Mings), he (Engels) knows when to just get rid of the ball. Just get rid of the ball, just squeeze up tight and play from there. There is a time to play which I do believe that they know the difference and obviously having John Terry there will help him.

“A guy who is arguably one of the best centre-halves ever to play the game is amazing to have, especially for young players to become better. They’ve got a good blend of doing the dirty work and the new-feel stuff.”

Terry was certainly one of the best defenders of his generation, and there is no doubt that having his influence at the club will be a benefit for their defenders.

Learning from Terry will help the likes of Mings and Engels become better players, and you can see the impact that the former England captain is having in performances.

Indeed, using Mings as an example, he has been outstanding this season and averages 7.3 clearances per game (WhoScored), perhaps indicating that he is being told to get rid of the danger when necessary.

The former Bournemouth man has broken into the England side since arriving at Villa (Transfermarkt), and it seems likely that the guidance of Terry is a major reason for his recent success.

Aston Villa fans, how much of an impact do you think John Terry has had as a coach at the club? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…