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A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a rumour suggesting that the Reds could look to sign Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele.

Jurgen Klopp ended up not making any attacking reinforcements in the summer transfer window, leaving many frustrated with the club’s lack of business. It means that Liverpool must continue to rely on Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota to deliver consistently, although it’s arguable that only the first two are currently doing that.

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Another wide player will be needed at some point, and according to TEAMtalk [via Anfield Edition on Twitter], the Reds are eyeing up a January move for Dembele.

The Frenchman has never reached his potential at Barca, often proving to be an injury-prone figure and scoring just 30 goals in 118 appearances despite his £135.5m transfer fee.

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Liverpool fans unhappy with Dembele transfer link

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react negatively to the links with Dembele, with some citing his injury record as a serious concern.

“Yeah cos all we need is another injury-prone player”

Credit: @Ghirq1

“God forbid”

Credit: @JamzLndon

“Why exactly? He’s the winger version of Naby Keita”

Credit: @LFC_Ethan_

“We asked for a forward but if FSG give us this guy…”

Credit: @CallMeRyuk

“No thanks”

Credit: @Origilist_

“Signing him to keep our medical team busy?”

Credit: @queklopp

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted to another Reds transfer claim. Read more here.

Nuno Santo must turn to Tottenham Hotspur gem Bryan Gil in a bid to spoil Newcastle United’s party at St James’ Park this afternoon.

The Magpies crowd will be in full force following their long-awaited takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium and even though Steve Bruce remains in the dugout, the atmosphere is expected to be electric.

Spurs know that they need to build on their victory against Aston Villa last time out, especially as they had lost the previous three in a heavy and embarrassing fashion.

For all of the positives against the Midlands outfit, there were still problems bubbling beneath the surface. The north Londoners remain amongst the least creative teams in the top-flight and that has got to change sooner rather than later.

As per WhoScored, the Lilywhites rank second-bottom for average number of shots per game, managing only 10.4 attempts, which is lower than all of the teams currently occupying a spot in the relegation zone.

Similarly, Spurs are amongst the bottom three in the Premier League for expected goals, registering an xG of just 7.25, via Understat. Only basement boys Norwich City and Watford have recorded fewer.

Truth be told, the club haven’t really filled the void left behind by Christian Eriksen, who left N17 for Milan in January 2020.

Neither Tanguy Ndombele nor Giovani Lo Celso have stepped up in his absence, having both been signed in the previous summer, whilst Dele Alli’s struggles have been well-documented.

However, there could well be a solution already at the club, largely thanks to the transfer dealings of Italian sporting director Fabio Paratici. He secured a shrewd move for Gil in the summer, shipping the injury-prone Erik Lamela to Sevilla in return.

The 20-year-old magician is still adapting to life in England but has been touted to achieve big things in his career. After all, he’s already picked up four caps for Spain and is also valued at a whopping £27m by Transfermarkt.

Gil averaged 1.7 crosses and 1.9 key passes per 90 in La Liga last season, via WhoScored, proving to be a creative influence in attacking midfield.

“I think we’re going to see a very talented young player coming to the fore. He’s kind of got a bit of everything: he can pass, he can dribble, he’s very creative, he has clever movement,” explained football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

“They’ve just got to decide, is he a guy that can ultimately become the new Eriksen, because the more and more I watch him play, I think the ability’s there to do that. Some have even made a Modric comparison and said, maybe he could end up coming even deeper and becoming that kind of player.”

On that evidence, you can see exactly why he could be the man to usurp the likes of Ndombele and Lo Celso for the no.10 role.

Also lauded for having “unbelievable amounts of technique” by ESPNUK editor David Cartlidge, Gil’s technical ability and flair could be exactly what Nuno needs this afternoon.

The Portuguese boss must unleash the youngster, who football scout Jacek Kulig dubbed a “big talent”, at St James’ Park as he has the ability and skillset to ruin the Magpies’ afternoon.

AND in other news, Nuno Santo hints at Spurs injury blow ahead of Newcastle clash…

Crystal Palace welcomed a new era into south London over the summer following the departure of Roy Hodgson after four stable and pragmatic years, with the arrival of several young and exciting signings marking the shift in approach.

The capital club appointed Patrick Vieira as Hodgson’s successor in the dugout following a lengthy recruitment process, but the French tactician wasted no time in putting his own stamp on the first-team squad.

Acquisitions such as Marc Guehi, Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise were ideal fits for his entertaining, possession-orientated style, and they’ve all hit the ground running in the opening weeks of the campaign.

However, it’s a player who was already at Palace prior to the plethora of changes who has arguably given the club’s supporters the most reasons to be cheerful during Vieira’s short reign and beyond.

Tyrick Mitchell rose through the ranks at his boyhood club before being handed his first-team debut by Hodgson back in July 2020 during Project Restart.

Since then, the 22-year-old has gone on to make 34 appearances for the Eagles in all competitions and has now established himself as Palace’s first-choice left-back following the departure of Patrick van Aanholt.

The left-back has excelled in his defensive duties in the early stages of his career, averaging a whopping 3.4 tackles per league game last term – the highest tally amongst his teammates, as per WhoScored.

And now Mitchell is also adding an attacking threat to his game under the tutelage of Vieira, becoming a much more complete modern-day full-back in the process.

As per fbref.com, the youngster has already doubled his number of key passes from last season, hitting six in his ten outings, is now producing one shot-creating action per 90 – up from 0.47 and is now carrying the ball into the final third of this pitch on 1.67 occasions per 90 compared to 0.47 in 2020/21.

His outstanding contributions at both ends of the pitch has seen Mitchell’s market value rise to £10.8m, illustrating how Palace appears to have struck gold over the £28,000-per-week academy graduate.

And, in other news…Palace liability who lost possession 22 times let Vieira down against Newcastle 

Eddie Howe is reportedly in ‘shock’ talks with Newcastle United over potentially replacing Steve Bruce as their next manager.

The Lowdown: Bruce leaves

As was expected, Bruce has now left his role as manager at St. James’ Park, as confirmed by the North East club on Wednesday.

Graeme Jones will now take temporary charge of the side, with their next game away to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Latest: Howe discussions

As per The Daily Mirror, Howe is currently in discussions with the Tyneside outfit about the manager job, something which they describe as a ‘shock name’ to emerge amongst the candidates.

Still out of work after leaving AFC Bournemouth, he was strongly linked with Celtic during the summer, but eventually rejected a move to Glasgow.

The Verdict: Short-term yes, long-term no

Howe could be the perfect manager to come in in the short-term, perhaps until the end of the season, as the Magpies are still in a relegation battle.

Of course, he has faced these situations before with the Cherries, and survived five seasons in the Premier League after coming all the way up from League Two (Transfermarkt).

The great Sir Alex Ferguson loves him, gushing over his abilities, and one of his former players, Marvin Bartley, has previously dubbed him a ‘fantastic’ coach, so there are certainly positive signs there.

However, the new owners will want to go for a bigger name for the long-term in order to attract the biggest and best names to the Toon, with the likes of Diego Simeone recently being linked.

In other news, find out who is now keen on the NUFC job here!

Ange Postecoglou is plotting a move to bring Min-kyu Song to Celtic in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to reports from South Korea (via the Daily Record), which claim that Celtic are in a three-way battle to sign the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors winger in the winter market, with both Udinese and Fenerbahce also thought to be interested in the 22-year-old.

The report continues to state that the 56-year-old Bhoys manager has made it clear that he wants to bring further additions to Parkhead in January, and that the South Korea international is a player who potentially fits the bill for the Greek-Australian boss.

Ange would love him

It is easy to see why Postecoglou would be interested in signing Min-kyu Song this winter, as the forward has highly impressed since joining Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in a £1.32m deal this summer.

Indeed, over his 29 K League appearances this season, the £1.35m-rated man has scored eight goals, registered two assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

The 22-year-old also impressed over his two appearances in the AFC Champions League, making an average of 2.5 key passes per game, taking 2.5 shots at goal and earning an average SofaScore match rating of 6.85.

As such, it is clear to see that the signing of Min-kyu Song would bring further creativity and goalscoring prowess to the Celtic attack, something that was evidently lacking in the Bhoys’ 0-0 draw with Livingston at the weekend.

However, with both Udinese and Fenerbahce also reported to be interested in the winger, Michael Nicholson looks to have his work cut out in convincing the player of a move to Glasgow – but, considering his impressive returns, Min-kyu Song would be well worth the fight, as he is quite clearly a player Postecoglou would love to have in his first-team squad.

In other news: Fresh injury claim emerges on £18k-p/w “leader” which will delight Celtic fans

West Ham United can all but confirm their place in the Europa League knockout stages with a win over Genk this evening, in what will be David Moyes’ 1,000 game in management.

Fresh off the back of leading the Irons to their record points and win total in the Premier League last season, the Scotsman has his side unbeaten in Europe with a 100% record in Group H.

The Hammers could become the first English team to win their opening four games in the competition without conceding a goal, so it could be quite the landmark occasion over in Belgium tonight.

But with a huge clash against Liverpool on Sunday, the 58-year-old has plenty of decisions to make in terms of team selection.

Here’s the lineup he could run with against the Jupiler Pro League outfit…

After dispatching Aston Villa with ease last weekend, Moyes could afford to rotate the bulk of his starting XI and that is what he’s expected to do. There could be as many as nine changes with only vice-captain Declan Rice and winger Jarrod Bowen remaining.

It means Alphonse Areola resumes duties between the sticks as he is seemingly West Ham’s ‘cup ‘keeper’, so veteran Lukasz Fabianski is rested.

The entire back four is altered, too.

Craig Dawson and Issa Diop have formed a solid partnership in the tournament so far and are likely to return, handing a breather to both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna, whilst Vladimir Coufal is in line for his first start since injury.

The 29-year-old replaces the impressive Ben Johnson on the right, whilst Arthur Masuaku starts over Aaron Cresswell on the other flank.

Rarely-seen summer signing Alex Kral could earn some minutes from the off as he partners Rice in the middle. The 23-year-old Czech Republic international has played only 90 minutes since arriving in east London.

Further afield, it would be a surprise to see Michail Antonio named in the starting lineup, so Andriy Yarmolenko is trusted to lead the line again as Moyes lacks senior options in the centre-forward role.

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Meanwhile, Manuel Lanzini and fellow summer arrival Nikola Vlasic join Bowen behind the striker, meaning Said Benrahma is axed after his sub-par showing at Villa Park, with Pablo Fornals also rested.

AND in other news, Moyes must unleash West Ham’s £18m-rated “machine” tonight, he could terrorise Genk…

According to Calciomercato, there has been an update on the future of AC Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli and it involves Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Conte eyeing Serie A swoops…

One of the recurring themes of new manager Antonio Conte’s time at Spurs so far is the repeated links to some of Italian football’s biggest names.

Indeed, Calciomercato recently claimed that the 52-year-old could target as many as six Serie A players in Federico Chiesa, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Marcelo Brozovic, Vlahovic and Romagnoli.

Another San Siro star in Franck Kessie has also been repeatedly linked with Tottenham as both Rudy Galetti and La Gazzetta (via Get Italian Football News) drop suggestions of a very advanced move.

The topic of this report is Romagnoli, however, as Calciomercato bring news on Spurs’ pursuit of the player after TuttoJuve24 claimed Conte is ‘ready’ to take him ‘immediately’.

The Latest: Romagnoli has ‘proposal’ from Tottenham…

As well as the majority of Tottenham’s targets being from Serie A, a number of them could also leave for free in the summer of 2022. Indeed, the likes of Brozovic, Kessie and Romagnoli all currently have deals which expire at the end of this season and are free to negotiate pre-contract terms with other clubs in January.

According to Calciomercato, the Milan defender has ‘many proposals’ on the table, including from Juventus and Spurs as both clubs endanger the Rossoneri’s chances of agreeing fresh terms with their captain.

The Verdict: Astute option?

If Tottenham can secure an agreement to sign Romagnoli for free next summer, or even for a cut-price fee in January, we believe he could be an astute purchase to partner Cristian Romero.

The 26-year-old, who would come with a longer shelf life than fellow centre-back targets like De Vrij, stands out as a composed and assured figure in central defence.

So far this season, Romagnoli has averaged a higher pass accuracy than any Tottenham defender, with teammate Fikayo Tomori also labelling him a ‘great champion’ alongside teammate Simon Kjaer (Corriere dello Sport via milannews.it).

With the player earning a reported £106,000 per week, Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici wouldn’t exactly have to break the bank with Romangnoli’s salary demands either, given that a fee around that amount should be more than attainable.

The 6 foot 2 powerhouse may well bolster Conte’s backline as he aims to bring glory back to N17.

In other news: Spurs now close to signing ‘monster’ player as Conte seeks to solve severe problem, find out more here.

Newcastle United are reportedly now interested in signing Nicolas Pepe in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Move away likely

With the emergence of England international Bukayo Saka on the right-wing, Pepe has become more of a bit-part player at the Emirates Stadium this season.

The former Lille star has only managed to make seven appearances in the Premier League so far, with two of those coming off of the bench (Transfermarkt). And with no European competition for Arsenal this season, there are fewer opportunities for fringe players to see regular minutes.

Considering this, a move away from north London in the winter, whether that would be on loan or on a permanent deal, appears likely for a player who cost the Gunners a club record £72m, and so would surely be expecting more game time.

The Latest: Newcastle interest

As per French outlet Jeunes Footeux, the St. James’ Park faithful are one of three teams in the top flight now ‘interested’ in signing Pepe, along with both Everton and Crystal Palace.

This would be on an initial loan deal in January, with the option to buy the Ivory Coast international in the summer.

The Verdict: Worth a punt

Pepe’s career in North London may not be all that impressive considering his price tag, given that he has only managed 25 goals and 18 assists in 98 matches in total over all competitions across the last three seasons (Transfermarkt).

However, he did not choose how much he was going to cost, and a loan deal with an option could make sense for the Magpies.

The 26-year-old will have a point to prove, and could make the right-wing spot in the North East his own with his ability to cut in on his left foot, with Allan Saint-Maximin coming in on his right from the opposite flank.

Even if things are not quite working out for Pepe, he still works hard on the pitch, as Mikel Arteta hailed his ‘phenomenal’ work ethic at the end of the last campaign. That is what the Toon Army expect from any player who dons the black and white stripes, and the winger certainly has the capabilities of getting them up off of their feet with his pace and directness.

Incidentally, he never lost a game against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side, and so the Tyneside boss may already know plenty about him, and perhaps relish the chance to work with him rather than against him.

In other news, find out which £125.9m-rated poacher NUFC are in the mix to sign here!

Flocking to Twitter, these Manchester City fans have been left in awe of a major transfer update involving Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong, as Pep Guardiola seeks to strengthen his options.

The Sky Blues, currently sitting second in the Premier League table, are aiming to overtake frontrunners Chelsea as they return from November’s international break.

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Before the players set off on their respective national side duties, Guardiola’s Premier League champions put a disappointing 2-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace behind them by taking the spoils on derby day.

Goals from Eric Bailly (OG) and Bernardo Silva cemented a 2-0 victory over cross-town rivals Man United at Old Trafford and that result could serve as a platform to build some momentum heading into the festive period.

Sporting director Txiki Begiristain and co will also have one eye on the transfer market in a bid to bolster Guardiola’s options as a major transfer claim emerges on who could now be added to the Spaniard’s ‘core’ plans.

According to Fichajes, City have just lodged a ‘formal proposal’ to sign Catalans midfielder de Jong. Indeed, as per their sources, the Sky Blues have now placed a ‘whopping’ €90 million (£75.5m) bid on the table with the offer ‘already a reality’.

Man City fans buzz…

Despite his supposed bad run of form, as highlighted by Fichajes, it’s no surprise some City supporters are excited by this de Jong offer given his pedigree.

Club legend Fernandinho’s current deal expires in 2022 and Begiristain is tasked with the decision of either extending his stay for a third season running or signing his replacement.

Rodrigo has, arguably, taken that mantle given he’s been one of City’s players of the season whilst thriving in a defensive midfield role.

However, future rotation will be key and de Jong would certainly come as an ideal alternative to the Spaniard – especially going by his stats.

Even in a poor season in La Liga, the 36-cap Netherlands star has averaged more tackles per 90 (2) than any Sky Blues midfielder whilst also proving difficult to dispossess.

Completing 3 dribbles per match, better than that of all Guardiola’s current crop, de Jong comes as a real all-rounder as these Citizens become excited by their side’s alleged £75.5m bid – a real statement of intent.

Find all of their best Twitter verdicts down below:

“With Dinho heading out Frenkie would be an ideal replacement. He wasn’t used properly at barca…just watch his DM highlights at Ajax…outstanding.. He will only become better under Pep.”

Credit: @MirrorMan1996

“This would be amazing”

Credit: @yungoatzay

“Now that’s a proper signing!”

Credit: @Kippaxboys1981

“This can’t get more exciting. De Jong is Pep player out and out, will improve the team tremendously. Now add Dusan as well by offsetting Sterling”

Credit: @iambarid

“Yes please”

Credit: @ThisisDela_

“Limbs if this is true”

Credit: @MCFC_Etho

“Salivating at this”

Credit: @BernardoControl

In other news: ‘Siuuuu’, ‘Finally’, ‘The stars are aligning’…Erling Haaland update has many Man City fans excited, find out more here.

While Liverpool currently have five senior centre-backs in their squad at the moment, both Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have now hit the age of 30.

With this in mind, it’s not surprising to hear that the Reds have been linked with a move for a young centre-back from one of Europe’s top clubs.

What’s the news?

A recent report from ESPN Deportes claimed that Liverpool have an eye on Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo and his ongoing contract situation at the Spanish club.

The report claims that negotiations from Barcelona to get Araujo to extend his current deal, which is set to expire in the summer of 2023, are not as simple as first thought.

After joining Barcelona’s B team from Uruguayan club Boston River back in the 2018 summer transfer window, the 22-year-old centre-back made his senior debut for the La Liga giants in October 2019.

Since then, the defender, who is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has made 52 appearances for the club across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and one assist along the way.

Described as a player who “has everything” by fellow Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, Araujo showed in his latest appearance for the club just how impressive is by making five tackles and winning nine of his 11 duels during the 0-0 draw against Benfica in the Champions League, ultimately earning himself a solid overall match rating of 7.5/10 from SofaScore.

Taking all this into account, if Araujo doesn’t sign a new deal at Barcelona, Michael Edwards could have the opportunity to replicate a similar detail to that made for Matip, who joined the Reds on a free transfer back in 2016 after seeing out his contract with Schalke 04 and then went on to become an regular figure in Klopp’s team.

With all this in mind, Liverpool should definitely make a move to sign Araujo if they see an opportunity to strike a deal which could see him arrive as a free agent with plenty of playing years ahead of him, making him a potential long-term replacement for Matip or Van Dijk.

In other news: FSG could solve big Liverpool issue by signing “unplayable” £27m-rated “world-beater”