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Usually, the men behind the scenes at football clubs come under intense scrutiny, and some have a difficult relationship with the fans.

At Liverpool, though, there is one man who is adored by the Merseyside outfit’s following, and that is sporting director Michael Edwards.

He took the role in 2016 and has since played a huge role in bringing top players to Anfield, including Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson.

Now, it has been reported by The Times journalist Paul Joyce that Edwards struck an agreement with Barcelona during the sale of Philippe Coutinho.

It is believed that if the Catalan giants want to sign another Liverpool before 2020, they will have to pay a premium of €100m on top of a fee.

Barcelona have poached a few of the Reds’ key players, and the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Salah are regularly linked with moves to Spain.

Unsurprisingly, plenty of Liverpool fans are delighted with this reported clause.

The Playmaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…

According to a recent report from The Sun, Mohamed Elneny could be set for a move away in the near future. The Egypt international currently plays his football at Premier League giants Arsenal and has done so since leaving Basel back in 2016, although a lack of regular football under Unai Emery this season has called his future at the Emirates Stadium into question.

And reports suggest that the Gunners are willing to sell the 26-year-old in January and are hoping to get a reported £15 million for his services, which is news that must be of interest to West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini as he seeks to finally fill the big void in his Hammers midfield.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the centre of the West Ham midfield has been a problem area for a few years now, and the departure of Cheikhou Kouyate, regardless of how effective he actually was during his time in East London, to Crystal Palace over the summer only added further insult to injury.

And with summer signings Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez both currently out injured, and neither looking like being back anytime soon, Pellegrini will be well aware that while the likes of Declan Rice, Mark Noble, and Pedro Obiang have done well in the middle of the park, they would benefit greatly from another industrious addition in that department – Elneny could be that man.

The 26-year-old made the move to Arsenal little under three years ago as Arsene Wenger sought the central midfielder his side have been missing for a number of years, and there were glimpses of promise that Elneny could be that man at times during his spell in North London.

A sustained run in the team at the end of the 2015/16 suggested that maybe he was the answer to Wenger’s midfield conundrum, only for niggling injuries to restrict the 26-year-old to just 76 appearances for the Gunners, of which only 38 have come in the Premier League.

And while West Ham fans are sure to be concerned by his injury issues, what with their club currently injury-stricken as it is, there is little doubting that Elneny is the sort of midfielder that would hugely benefit Pellegrini’s side – he’s solid and composed on the ball in keeping possession and picking a pass, while he also has that strength and industry needed to break up play and screen the backline.

And with Arsenal reportedly happy to let go of the Egyptian star come the New Year, for what looks like a relatively modest £15 million price-tag, Pellegrini must seek to lure the 26-year-old across London in a bid to finally fill the Hammers’ glaring midfield void, in a deal that would represent something of a steal.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reflecting on the week’s Champions League action, and they want to sign Lyon’s Houssem Aouar after his display against Manchester City.

Lyon showed on Tuesda what very few teams have the bravery to show, that if you go full throttle at Manchester City they do have weak spots.

The French outfit are packed with young flair and talent, with the likes of Nabil Fekir, Memphis Depay and Tanguy Ndombele constantly linked with moves to the Premier League.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”335309″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Boring Boring Man Utd & Kings Of London Revealed”]

Aouar might just be the most impressive of the lot though, and reports claim Pep Guardiola even waited in the tunnel to speak with the 20 year-old sensation.

The versatile midfielder, who has five goals and four assists this season, has been strongly linked with both Liverpool and Chelsea, and he could be the perfect long-term replacement for Philippe Coutinho.

The youngster completed 90 per cent of his passes, three successful dribbles and also made five tackles in the 2-2 draw against Man City, and Liverpool fans are practically begging Jurgen Klopp to make a move.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Celtic defender Mikael Lustig is currently fighting to save his future with the club, but he might not have done himself any favours following his display in the 1-0 Europa League win against Rosenborg on Thursday night.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 6ft 2in star’s contract with the Glasgow giants is due to expire at the end of the season, and Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers has recently suggested that he is open to the 31-year-old remaining at Celtic Park if he proves his worth.

The Sweden international is one of the Scottish Premiership outfit’s longest-serving players having been with them since 2012, but even though he is currently the first-choice right-back ahead of Cristian Gamboa he has still come under criticism from his own fans on Twitter for some of his performances this term.

The Northern Irish manager gave Lustig the nod again in Norway on Thursday and even handed him the captain’s armband with Scott Brown on the substitutes’ bench, but things perhaps didn’t go to plan for him.

What happened?

Celtic may have kept a clean sheet, but the Swede’s display against a team that hasn’t taken a single point throughout the Europa League campaign was still worrying, and he was replaced by Gamboa in the 66th minute.

Lustig looked slow and cumbersome against his opponent throughout, and would have done little to convince Rodgers that he can be a first-choice option beyond this season for a team that wants to make an impact in the Champions League.

Considering he turns 32 years of age in just a couple of weeks, the former Liverpool boss may feel that he needs to bring in a new right-back – and possibly even two – if Celtic are to continue to progress in the future.

Chelsea and Man City both boast two of the most illustrious midfields in the Premier League. 

At the heart of each team is Jorginho for Chelsea, and Kevin De Bruyne for Man City (when fit). Both clubs will hope to be at the top end of the Premier League come the end of the season, and these players may prove pivotal to that.

With that in mind, let’s compare these two transfers…

Jorginho

Chelsea signed Italy’s Jorginho from Napoli over the summer for a fee of £50m. The midfielder arrived with new manager Maurizio Sarri after a brilliant season with the Italian club, pushing Juventus all the way in Serie A.

So far, the 26-year-old has been instrumental in Chelsea’s decent start to the season. He has the most passes in the league so far this season and has become The Blues’ lynchpin in turning defence into attack. Although he was found out slightly against Tottenham at Wembley, where he appeared to be behind the pace, but that can go down as a learning curve for him.

Although he was £50m, which is certainly not cheap, so far he is proving that he was worth every penny. Chelsea’s midfield struggled last year, particularly in the absence of Nemanja Matić, and Jorginho, alongside N’Golo Kanté, Ross Barkley and fellow newcomer Mateo Kovačić, looks to be part of one of the most formidable midfield combinations in England.

Very few would argue about the quality of this signing; the price may be questionable, but he’s showing signs already that he’s worth it.

TT Grade A- Kevin De Bruyne

Man City signed Belgian midfielder De Bruyne from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015 for a fee of £55m.

The player had just been awarded the Bundesliga Player of the Year award and was therefore hotly pursued by many clubs.

While his first two seasons were impressive with City, it was last season where he established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. He was simply sensational as City went on to break a number of Premier League records.

Unfortunately for the midfielder, his season so far has been blighted by two knee injuries which have curtailed his progress. However, when he is back at full fitness, there is no doubt that he will resume orchestrating The Citizens’ midfield and spearheading their pursuit to retain the Premier League

It was a big price, but he lived up to it.

TT Grade: A+

TT Verdict:

As these players both cost roughly the same, and are both similar in age, the best way to compare these two transfers is by looking at what they have brought on the pitch.

While Jorginho is showing a lot of promise at Stamford Bridge, and his career there is still young, it is hard not to give this battle to the Belgian. De Bruyne has been phenomenal since arriving at The Etihad, and has become one of the best players on the planet, which makes it all the more ironic as to why Chelsea ever let him go.

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Since arriving in Manchester from Shaktar Donetsk for a huge fee of around £52m, Fred has failed to live up to the hype and has been emblematic of Jose Mourinho’s transfer strategy at Manchester United. Under the new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, however, his fortunes may be about to change.

How has Fred fared so far?

Not very well. In fairness, the Brazilian international has made just six Premier League starts since his big money move back in the summer, as Mourinho inexplicably opted to leave him out of the side despite making the midfielder his headline signing.

The 25-year-old has scored just one goal and made one assist in all competitions for the Red Devils, but we won’t blame him for that due to Mourinho’s management style and his lack of game time.

He has proved in Ukraine whilst with Shakhtar that he does have a capable long shot on him, whilst he also managed to score a fantastic free-kick in the Champions League against Roma – he has it in his locker, he just needs someone to help him find the key.

How can Solskjaer help him?

The ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ is obsessed with getting his teams to shoot on sight and attack at will, something that is evident in his training sessions whilst with Molde in which he bemoans the fact that his players are passing it from 18 yards out rather than shooting – as shown by the Mirror.

United’s goal-shy midfielders have not had this type of encouragement for almost three years now, as Mourinho’s instructions were based more on defending and sitting deep behind the ball.

With his typical Brazilian flair, ability to find the net and also contribute defensively, Fred should be the one that Solskjaer builds his team around along with Paul Pogba – he could just become an elite box-to-box goalscoring midfielder under the 45-year-old Norwegian’s tutelage.

Since replacing the injured Marko Arnautovic against Cardiff City almost two weeks ago, Lucas Perez has finally announced himself to the West Ham faithful and has his presence been a shining light in Manuel Pellegrini’s team of late.

The Hammers have won three matches on the trot, starting with a very impressive 3-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’s Park, while they also saw off Crystal Palace at the London Stadium last weekend.

Although players like Javier Hernandez and Felipe Anderson have been making the headlines in this current run due to their goal-scoring threat, it has been Perez who has specifically brought a lot of firepower next to the Mexican up-front.

Having replaced Arnautovic before half-time against Neil Warnock’s men, Perez exploded and fired home two superb goals within minutes of being on the pitch.

The former Arsenal man has relatively struggled to adapt to life under Pellegrini and has been in and out of the team since the start of the season.

But, to be honest, the Chilean manager hasn’t been that consistent with his team selections and has he forced multiple changes to his formation as he tries to find the perfect system for the East London club.

And despite losing an important player like Arnautovic, it looks as if West Ham have finally gathered momentum and have they shown great consistency since the 4-0 loss against Manchester City at the end of November.

A trip to Craven Cottage on Saturday should also excite the gaffer and Perez of gaining more points against a vulnerable Fulham team.

Claudio Ranieri’s men have struggled defensively, while West Ham have thrived in that aspect of the game.

Despite playing at home, Fulham could be in for another long afternoon if the likes of Denis Odoi, Alfie Mawson and Jean Michael Seri don’t mark the movement and runs of Perez.

The passing of Anderson and Robert Snodgrass could expose Fulham with Perez and of course Hernandez ready to pounce on every opportunity.

According to reports in The Guardian, Celtic are in pole position to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Timothy Weah on loan during the January transfer window, but could that mean that Brendan Rodgers is ready to turn his back on Mikey Johnston.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Guardian report that the Bhoys are leading the race to bring the 18-year-old in from PSG next month after the USA international confirmed that he would be leaving the Ligue 1 leaders on a temporary basis.

The Guardian report that Rodgers is hoping that the American attacker will be one of two strikers to arrive at Parkhead in January, with Odsonne Edouard and Johnston the club’s only options right now with Leigh Griffiths absent because of his off-the-field problems.

Would he be a good signing?

He certainly would be.

The teenager may only be at the start of his football career, but the fact that he is PSG player and has been capped at senior level by the United States shows the ability and potential that he has, and there is no doubt that his pace will frighten opposition defenders in the Scottish Premieship.

The arrival of Weah – and perhaps another striker as well – would not be great news for Johnston however, even if the 19-year-old did score three goals in two league fixtures against Motherwell and Dundee prior to Christmas.

Johnston would have hoped for further first-team opportunities this season, but it seems certain that he will be behind Weah in the pecking order as PSG will surely be insisting that he gets regular minutes to aid his development.

Leeds United have started the season remarkably under Marcelo Bielsa as they head up the Championship approaching the January transfer window.

Marcelo Bielsa has really had to show his talent as a coach that can get the best out of his players and he has certainly done that during his reign at Elland Road.

The Argentine’s squad has been hampered with injuries, meaning he has had to turn to fringe players and place faith in his youth. It has paid dividends so far but if they are to sustain the run, as well as looking into the market for squad depth, a couple of players could be let go.

Therefore, Bielsa has no choice but to send this Leeds DUO packing in January…

Conor Shaughnessy

Having had an impressive campaign with the first-team at Leeds last season, it has not been the season Conor Shaughnessy would have hoped for so far on a personal level.

The Republic of Ireland youth international has only played 45 minutes of senior football for Leeds, that coming in the EFL Cup.

Even with captain Liam Cooper’s injury, holding midfielder Kalvin Phillips and 20-year-old Aapo Halme have been preferred.

Considering that, it would be best for Shaughnessy’s career and seemingly Leeds if he was to move on and get game time elsewhere.

Stuart Dallas

The versatile Stuart Dallas has been helpful in covering for players during Leeds’ injury crisis. Luke Ayling and Gaetano Beradi’s injuries have meant he has filled in at right-back frequently, as well as left-back and most commonly on the right-wing.

However, Dallas is not that effective on the wing with no goal contributions in seven appearances there this season. When looking past first-choice options of Pablo Hernandez and Ezgjan Alioski, even then the promising talents that are Jack Clarke and Jack Harrison are available.

With that being said, with numerous injuries returning to fitness and the youthful talent available, that Dallas could move on.

According to a recent report from The Sun, Liverpool are interested in a January move for defender James Tarkowski. The 26-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League outfit Burnley and has done so since leaving Brentford back in 2016, with his impressive efforts in the heart of Sean Dyche’s backline seemingly attracting the interest of Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.

And that’s because reports suggest that the Merseysiders are eyeing up a move for the England international given their crippling injury problems in defence, yet the Reds must opt against making a move for Tarkowski, with £36 million-rated Toby Alderweireld (as per Transfermarkt) the centre back Liverpool must land this month to end their Premier League title wait.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the injury suffered by Dejan Lovren in their 2-1 defeat at Wolves on Monday night has left Klopp even further short of centre back cover, what with Joe Gomez and Joel Matip already out on the sidelines, and Virgil van Dijk reportedly suffering from a problem as well.

And given how impressive Tarkowski has been at Burnley in the last few years, not least last term in helping the Clarets to a seventh place finish in the Premier League table, he could certainly do a job were he to make the move to Anfield.

The 26-year-old appeared 31 times in the league for Dyche’s side last season as they defied the odds to secure a place in Europa League qualifying, with the Englishman very much an integral part of a backline that conceded just 39 goals in their 38 Premier League games – that was 12 goals fewer than sixth place Arsenal.

And with two England caps, as well as a place on Gareth Southgate’s standby list for last year’s World Cup, the centre back has enjoyed quite the rise in recent times to suggest that he could be a very shrewd signing for Liverpool this month – yet there are few better defenders in the division than Tottenham’s Alderweireld.

The 29-year-old first made the move to English football with Southampton back in 2014 on loan from Atletico Madrid, with the Belgium international impressing greatly to prompt Pochettino and Spurs to lure him to North London a year later.

And the centre back has since gone on to become one of the best centre backs in the Premier League with several impressive displays in the heart of the Spurs backline, not least in the 2015/16 season given he started all 38 of their league games to help inspire the North Londoners to third place in the division.

Yes, injuries have proved to be a problem in recent times with only 14 Premier League appearances to his name last term, but he has this season reclaimed his status as the number one centre back at Tottenham with 19 appearances in Pochettino’s side, who sit third in the table – clearly, he remains one of the best centre backs in English football.

And with Liverpool possessing arguably the only one better in van Dijk, the duo could strike up a formidable partnership were Alderweireld to make the move to Anfield – between the two of them, they have everything needed to flourish and make the Reds even more difficult to beat in the second half of the campaign.

So while Tarkowski would certainly strengthen Liverpool’s ranks, he wouldn’t as much as Spurs’ Alderweireld, with the 29-year-old the centre back Klopp must land this month in a bid to end the Reds’ wait for the Premier League title.

Liverpool fans… what do you think? Let us know!