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Liverpool have reportedly been joined by Juventus in the race for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have been linked to the Frenchman on numerous occasions, with Klopp reportedly keen to add to his midfield ranks especially with the expected departure of Georginio Wijnaldum.

However, they are set to be in a battle with Serie A giants Juventus for his signature according to TuttoSport.

Liverpool need to make sure they are victorious in their pursuit of Aouar.

At just 22 years of age, the midfielder has forged a reputation as one of the most promising players in Europe.

He has accumulated plenty of experience despite his tender years, racking up 163 appearances for Lyon, scoring 30 goals and providing 31 assists.

The £45m-rated midfielder has also already been afforded opportunities on the international stage, making his international debut in a 7-1 thumping of Ukraine in October 2020 – a game in which he racked up two assists.

Aouar’s performances have not just earned him admirers in the recruitment departments of some of Europe’s biggest clubs though. Even his fellow professionals are taking notice.

Following Lyon’s 3-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium in the UEFA Champions League group stages this season, Manchester City creator Kevin De Bruyne hailed the Frenchman’s “fantastic” performance.

So with Georginio Wijnaldum seemingly set to depart Anfield and Aouar only having two years left to run on his current contract, there does not seem a better time for Michael Edwards to move for the midfielder.

It will not be easy to combat the likes of Juventus in the transfer market but he needs to make sure that the Reds secure Aouar sooner rather than later or miss out on him to a European rival.

AND in more news, take a look at which Liverpool starlet has been handed a devastating injury blow ahead of the latest round of international games…

Glasgow Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo faces a nervous wait to be fully fit for Nigeria’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho on Tuesday.

Gers’ Aribo faces fight to be fit

£3.15m-valued Aribo (Transfermarkt) started against Benin on Saturday as the Super Eagles prevailed 1-0.

However, it has now emerged that Aribo is struggling with a stomach bug, and manager Gernot Rohr has revealed that he may not be available to play in the country’s next match (via allnigeriasoccer.com).

Short-term

This is no doubt a blow to Rohr and the national team. After all, Aribo has started every one of Nigeria’s qualifiers (Transfermarkt) as the Super Eagles sit top of their group, unbeaten in five matches (Goal.com). In fact, they have not lost any of the seven matches in which Aribo has played on the international stage so far.

However, a stomach issue should not be a problem for Steven Gerrard and Rangers. By the time this international break is over, he should be available to play between now and the rest of the term. While the Premiership trophy has already been sewn up, the Gers are still competing in the Scottish Cup, and even in the league they can still go the whole season unbeaten (BBC). Given Gerrard called him “fantastic” earlier this season (via The Athletic), Aribo could well play an important role in both before the term is out.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this billboard vandalism.

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Rangers relayed footage of central-midfielder, Joe Aribo, in action at Ibrox.

So far this season, Aribo has been one of Steven Gerrard’s stand out players in the club’s title-winning campaign, with the 24-year-old scoring six goals and registering four assists over his 26 Scottish Premiership appearances, as well as averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.40 – ranking him as Gers’ joint second-best performer in the Scottish top flight, behind only James Tavernier.

In the club’s recent 2-1 win over Hibernian, the midfielder displayed his talents admirably once again, particularly in one phase of play, in which Aribo plucked a high ball out of the sky with an incredibly deft touch.

And, after Rangers shared footage of the touch in question on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many heaping a considerable amount of praise on the midfielder.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to the footage of Joe Aribo?

“I used to think Dennis Bergkamp had the best first touch. Not so sure anymore!”

@Xero1982

“Honestly, I’d drop a baby out of a burning building to Joe Aribo with 100% confidence he would caress it to safety with his feet.”

@Jock_Rangers

“Velcro feet.”

@nathrfc1

“His first touch is worth £10m.”

@kyle__55

“Beautiful.”

@Jack64527644

“Feet like pillows.”

@sagahansenOF

“It is simply sensational.”

@J_Munro98

In other news: Sources lift lid on ‘strong interest’ in Gerrard; chief executive has link with the Gers boss – find out more here!

Swansea earned a hard-fought three points in their push for promotion on Saturday, as they defeated Luton Town 1-0 in the early kick-off in the Championship.

Connor Hourihane’s early goal was enough to see off the Hatters, who had a number of chances to equalise but couldn’t find a way past Freddie Woodman in the Swans goal.

The result briefly put Steve Cooper’s side in the top-two of the Championship, before Watford’s 2-1 win at Cardiff saw them jump back above the Swans into the automatic spots.

Although it was an important result, some of the performances from Swansea players were below par on Saturday, with Andre Ayew, in particular, disappointing.

As per SofaScore, the experienced striker would earn a 6.4 rating for his display, which was the joint-lowest rating, with Korey Smith, of any Swansea player who started the game.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch, the former Marseille man would have 41 touches of the ball and would complete just 18 passes, which suggests that he was rarely involved, as he has averaged 27.3 passes per game in the Championship so far this season.

Perhaps most disappointingly, the Ghana international struggled to hold the ball up for Swansea in his role as a lone striker, with the Luton defenders, particularly Kai Naismith, having the better of him during the game.

Ayew would win just 4/14 ground duels and just 3/11 of his aerial duels during the game, resulting in an overall tally of 7/25 – which saw him register a disappointing success rate of just 28%.

Naismith meanwhile, would win 15/17 of his duels during the game and earned an impressive 8.3 rating for his display, which definitely suggests that he won the battle between himself and Ayew.

Despite being rarely involved, the 31-year-old striker would also lose possession on 16 occasions, suggesting that his link-up play was nowhere near his usual standards at Kenilworth Road.

The £3.6 million-rated forward was also successful with just 2/7 of his dribbles against Nathan Jones’ side, whilst he failed to register a single shot on target, so he is perhaps fortunate that Swansea were able to come away with a win, as it is clear that he was nowhere near his best against the Hatters as he let Cooper down with an anonymous display.

Manchester United were dealt a devastating blow to their Premier League title hopes on Saturday night.

Bruno Fernandes’ best efforts ultimately proved to be in vain as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side threw away a two-goal lead against Everton despite leading twice at Old Trafford yesterday evening.

The 26-year-old doubled their advantage shortly before half-time with a sensational long-range strike past Robin Olsen after Edinson Cavani’s opener.

But the lead was short-lived with the visitors fighting back after the break courtesy of goals from Abdoulaye Doucouré and James Rodriguez.

Scott McTominay then grabbed his second goal in as many games, nodding home Luke Shaw’s excellent cross to restore their lead.

Everton restored parity for a second time, however, with pretty much the last kick of the game as Dominic Calvert-Lewin took advantage of some sloppy defending from United to score from close-range.

Cavani may have opened the scoring but we feel Fernandes deserves plenty of recognition too.

The Portuguese star has often been tasked with being United’s main creative asset in the midfield and last night was no different as he tried to make the magic happen.

A return of 78 touches saw him ranked fourth in the entire game, bettered only by his teammates McTominay, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof, as per SofaScore, implying that he dominated possession and dictated play.

Fernandes made three key passes, that being the most out of any player from either side, and took four shots overall, including one shot on target, which just so happened to usurp Cavani’s tally of two shots in total.

And his effort at Old Trafford, which was ultimately cancelled out by Everton’s remarkable comeback, gained plenty of praise from Jamie Redknapp. The player-turned-pundit waxed lyrical about Fernandes’ goal.

“What a goal. I love this guy. He’s such an amazing player,” he said. “Everything about him, he’s a showman, little bits of skill. He lets the ball run because he knows he’ll get the next one off Wan-Bissaka.

“He looks up to cross it, that’s not on and this is dipping. There’s so much aggression and violence in this shot, it’s just going everywhere. It’s so difficult to stop.

“I knew he was going to be a good player when he came to United. Did I think he’d become great so quickly?”

It marked a return to the kind of form that Fernandes has gained a reputation for following his arrival from Sporting Lisbon as he has now scored in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since December after experiencing a mini goal drought.

With trips to Chelsea and Manchester City on the horizon, this will come as welcome news for Solskjaer as his side attempt to perform a dramatic turnaround in form.

AND in other news, Manchester United handed huge Jadon Sancho boost as Dortmund reduce demands…

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Premier League striker turned pundit Kevin Phillips has touted a summer exit for West Ham defender Winston Reid – going on to claim he ‘won’t be with’ the club next season whether GSB decide to sell him or terminate his contract. 

Reid, currently out on loan at Brentford, has impressed for the Bees since his spell began – with manager Thomas Frank recently lauding the New Zealand international as a ‘giant’ after his performance against Sheffield Wednesday (Evening Standard).

However, despite his outings in the Championship, Phillips believes the writing is on the wall for Reid and has touted a summer exit regardless of the method.

Phillips touts West Ham exit

Whether he is sold by GSB for a profit or his contract is terminated, the pundit has claimed there is no way back for the 32-year-old.

“I don’t think there’s a way back for him at West Ham,” he told Football Insider.

“David Moyes has probably assessed the situation and said he’s going to look elsewhere, let’s put it that way.

“I think come the end of the season, whether they terminate his contact mutually or someone comes in for him, he won’t be with West Ham next season.

“If Brentford buy him if they get promoted, that would probably be the sensible option for him, he’d probably be happy to do that because he knows his time at West Ham’s up.”

Transfer Tavern take

Given the crop of defenders at David Moyes’ disposal, with in form options like Craig Dawson impressing, you could argue there isn’t any room for Reid in the side anymore.

Parting company could be the best choice for both parties, but it remains to be seen how the club will approach his potential exit.

In other news: West Ham fans raved over this ace in Man City defeat, find out more here.

This has been a torrid old season for Wolves. They’ve been missing Raul Jimenez since November and any dream of securing European football is long gone.

Therefore, this is a critical summer for the Old Gold.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Wolves are considering a phenomenal return for Matt Doherty.

The Irishman only left last summer but, after a difficult campaign with Tottenham, he could return to the Midlands.

Doherty has started just 12 of 29 Premier League matches this term and thus may be searching for an escape route.

Sources have told Football Insider that Wolves are keen to re-sign him for a fee lower than the one Spurs paid last summer. The Lilywhites initially dished out £16m for his services, paying him a wage of £74,000 per week.

Nuno’s dream

Wolves have recruited poorly over the past 12 months, something evident in what they did last summer.

Jeff Shi replaced Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota, 25% of Wolves’ goals last term, with Nelson Semedo and Fabio Silva.

Wolves paid out £27.61m for Semedo while Silva set them back £35.6m. It’s safe to say that neither of them have been worth the money.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-news-on-wolves-from-molineux” title=” Check out the latest news on Wolves from Molineux!”]

The former has been a defensive calamity while the latter has scored just twice since arriving, so Doherty would be a welcome addition. The wing-back has played 302 times for Wolves, displaying immense consistency throughout his time at Molineux.

The defender very quickly became a dream for Nuno Espirito Santo, someone capable of fitting into Wolves’ desired system and style of play perfectly.

Speaking about him when he left for north London, the manager said: “Such a nice person, it was a pleasure to work with Matt. He had to adjust and adapt to so many things and the way he grew as a player was amazing. I wish him all the best. I will miss him. It’s up to us to find solutions (to replace him).”

Unfortunately, Wolves haven’t been able to replace him sufficiently. Semedo has been criticised for his role in the defensive, being beaten all too easily on numerous occasions. Recall his performance against Arsenal and you’ll envisage the torment that Nicolas Pepe gave him.

Doherty, on the other hand, was a loyal servant to Wolves, being described by journalist Tim Spiers as “superb” during his time at the club.

He wasn’t just defensively astute, but he was adept in offensive areas too. During his two seasons in the Premier League with Wolves, he scored eight goals and claimed the same number of assists.

It goes without saying that he should be a tremendous addition if they can bring him back.

AND in other news, Better than Jose: Wolves must swoop for “special” £30m beast with 27 goals this term…

For Leeds United, this has been a troubling start to 2021. They have failed to win a single game and in the process, have shipped seven goals in three matches.

For Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites, it is very out of character. On top of their poor defensive record, they are yet to score this calendar year either.

Thus, director of football Victor Orta is surely thinking of ways Leeds can strengthen in the January transfer window. Eye-catching Montpellier forward Andy Delort has been linked in recent days but it’s another target in France that we want to focus on for the time being.

That happens to be Lens defender Loic Bade. The 20-year-old has been impressive in Ligue 1 this term, proving himself to be a combative centre-half, a player capable of brushing attackers aside with ease.

It’s hard to suggest that sounds like any defender already at the club, but it does bring back memories of a bearded Swede; Pontus Jansson.

Before Bielsa grew tired of him, the centre-back was an imperious figure, a man-mountain who’d win aerial duels and battles like they were going out fashion. Leeds didn’t have the best defensive tally in the Championship, but he was a big reason behind their record from corners and free-kicks.

On Jansson’s way to earning his place in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018/19, Leeds conceded just 13 goals from set-pieces over the season. That was the 12th best record in the division, but just a year later their frailties were there for all to see. Of all the goals they conceded last season, 34% of them were from set-pieces.

To add to Bielsa’s woes, Leeds currently have the worst record in the Premier League this term from set plays, conceding a league-high ten goals.

With that in mind, they could do with someone like Jansson or rather, they could benefit from signing Bade.

Jansson was remarkable in the air, winning 4.9 aerial duels per game during his final season in the Championship for Leeds. Now, Robin Koch might be good in the air – succeeding with 2.8 aerial duels but it doesn’t come close to their former defender or Bade.

The £5.4m-rated target has won 4.3 aerial battles per match in 2020/21, reigning supreme in the air. The 20-year-old is just an inch smaller than Jansson, but it’s evident that he doesn’t let that impact him.

With Leeds struggling so much from set-pieces, signing someone who is as good in the air as Bade would undoubtedly be a massive help. For that reason alone, Victor Orta must conclude a deal as soon as possible.

He’d undoubtedly help Leeds replace their ex-defender.

AND in other news, Forget Gelhardt: Leeds should consider unleashing rarely-seen 16 y/o with 4 goals in 5…

Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday evening as they face Wolves at Anfield, hoping to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.

Chelsea went top of the league following their win against Leeds on Saturday night but the Reds could go back top on Sunday, depending on the Tottenham Hotspur result earlier in the day.

Jurgen Klopp still has a long injury list to contend with ahead of the visit of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side but was boosted by the news earlier this week that both Naby Keita and Trent Alexander-Arnold have returned to first-team training.

The England international has been sidelined since picking up an injury against Manchester City before the international break but we feel that he could be straight back into the Reds’ first-team on Sunday evening.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp to line his side up against Wolves, with two changes from the starting XI that beat Ajax in midweek…

Caoimhin Kelleher should keep his place in goal after an impressive display in the midweek win against Ajax, with Fabinho and Joel Matip unsurprisingly selected ahead of him at centre-back.

Andrew Robertson should be fit to face Wolves despite picking up a knock against the Duch side, as he went on to complete 90 minutes against Erik ten Hag’s side.

There’s one change in defence, as Alexander-Arnold, who earns £40k per week at Liverpool,  returns from injury to reclaim his spot at right-back, with Neco Williams dropping to the bench after struggling in recent fixtures, most notably against Brighton when he gave away a penalty.

The academy graduate was heavily praised by talkSPORT pundit Ray Parlour earlier this year, as he said:

“If he continues putting in those stats, like Cafu says, he will be up there for a Ballon d’Or, there’s no question about it.

“The amount of assists he gets is an absolute weapon to have for any side.”

He will certainly have to be at his best if he wants to help keep this dangerous Wolves side quiet, with Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and Adama Traore all likely to be a threat on Sunday.

There’s one other change to Klopp’s side, as Curtis Jones drops to the bench, despite scoring in midweek, in order to accommodate Roberto Firmino back in the Liverpool attack, with the front four likely to cause problems if they interchange throughout the match, whilst Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum mop things up in midfield.

It will be interesting to see how Klopp opts to set his team up for what will undoubtedly be a tough game against the Old Gold, with the Reds hoping to continue their impressive home run.

And, in other news… Shades of Gerrard: Klopp must sign £45m beast who’s “going right to the top” 

All of a sudden, the positivity is rolling back to the green and white half of Glasgow.

The Hoops have now won four games on the bounce and amongst that, they took home the Scottish Cup following a win over Hearts.

Heading into a transfer window, the Hoops are building up ahead of steam nicely.

What’s the word?

Celtic can be under no illusions that they’re still having a disastrous season. Their victory against Hearts last weekend cannot mask that and in January, they need to address a number of issues.

That starts with their horrific defence, one that conceded a mammoth 19 goals in six Europa League games.

It’s no secret that the Bhoys could do with a new goalkeeper and they may have found their answer in someone already playing in Scotland.

That’s because according to The Daily Mail, Celtic are interested in signing Dundee United stopper Benjamin Siegrist.

The Swiss has been placed on their list of targets ahead of January and it is thought that they’ve already scouted the 28-year-old on a number of occasions.

Siegrist’s agent Dr Thomas Kraft said: “There is interest in him from clubs in the Bundesliga and the Dutch Eredivisie.

“Celtic have also scouted him several times, that is true. But today, at this moment, we have no official offer from Celtic. Will Benjamin leave Dundee United in January? It depends on the financial situation at United. You would have to ask the club, it’s difficult for me to say.”

Sign the thing

This would be a brilliant piece of shrewd business from Nick Hammond and Celtic.

The Hoops landed Vasilis Barkas for a haul of £5m in the summer but it’s hard to argue that he’s been a perfect signing. His succession of individual errors against AC Milan have summed up a torrid start to his Hoops career, one where he’s been dislodged by two different ‘keepers.

First, it was the turn of Scott Bain but he was again rather error-prone, proving to be a disaster when Celtic shipped four goals in Prague. On top of that, Conor Hazard has been inconsistent.

He kept the club’s first clean sheet since early November against Kilmarnock but was at fault in normal time during the Scottish cup final. Hazard did, of course, save two penalties in the shoot out but they could do with a more reliable senior goalkeeper.

In Siegrist, they’d have that. The Dundee United stopper has had an excellent campaign, keeping five clean sheets in the process. “Benjamin has had an extraordinary season and the last match against Hibernian he produced a high-level performance,” his agent told The Daily Mail.

It’s important to look at his colossal height of 6 foot 4 too, something that comes close to matching the frame of Fraser Forster. The Englishman was a goliath between the sticks last season and it’s clear Celtic are missing someone of his presence.

Siegrist could help to finally solve this void.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Celtic tipped to replace Lennon with manager who has 29.5% win rate…