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Manchester United completed a loan deal for Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer on deadline day but Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans could have been the better option for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

Following the injury suffered by Christian Eriksen in last weekend’s FA Cup win over Reading, it quickly became clear that United needed to recruit another central midfielder before the deadline shut, as the Denmark international looks set to be sidelined for three months.

There was a host of names linked with a switch to Old Trafford but in the end, it was Sabitzer who would make the move, joining on a loan deal from Bayern Munich until the end of the season.

However, the Red Devils were also linked with Tielemans, and the Belgium international would have arguably been a better heir to Eriksen in this United side, considering his vast experience in the Premier League and current contract situation with the Foxes.

The former Monaco man was touted as a potential option for Ten Hag and could have joined for a relatively small fee, considering he looks set to leave the King Power Stadium for free at the end of the season when his deal expires.

Even in a poor Leicester side, Tielemans has caught the eye with his performances this season, contributing three goals and one assist in 20 top-flight appearances, averaging a strong 6.88 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

With that in mind, it is no surprise that Brendan Rodgers has sung his praises, most notably back in 2021, saying:

“He came in January 2019 and he has progressed into one of Europe’s top midfielders. He’s only going to get better. An incredible professional.”

Sabitzer, meanwhile, has struggled for game time since his move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2021, contributing just one goal and one assist in 15 Bundesliga appearances this season, eight of which have come from the bench.

This has seen him earn a disappointing 6.68 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the German top flight, while he has also averaged fewer shots (one vs 1.2), key passes (0.4 vs 1.6) and tackles (1.8 vs 2.2) than Tielemans this season, which suggests again that the Leicester man would have been a better option.

Therefore, considering Sabitzer is only joining on loan and Tielemans could have been a bargain, permanent option for the Red Devils, Ten Hag should have pushed for the Belgian instead.

Liverpool’s successes under Jurgen Klopp in previous campaigns have “clouded the judgement” of the Anfield board, according to Josh Williams.

The Lowdown: Klopp’s success

Jurgen Klopp is the man who brought the English league title back to Anfield and the first time ever in the Premier League during the 2019/20 campaign, alongside a Champions League title and multiple runners-up in both the league and Europe.

However, his tenure has hit a brick wall this season with Liverpool woefully underperforming from previous campaigns under Klopp, with them currently sat ninth, ten points behind the top four and out of both domestic cups.

The Latest: Williams’ comments

Protests from the stands this season against American owners Fenway Sports Group, most notable in the 2-1 defeat against Leeds United at Anfield (Daily Mail) have taken place amid a lack of investment that has caused the decline.

But speaking on the Blood Red podcast, Williams claimed that naivety caused by recent success is also to blame, saying:

“Yes, you need investments in the squad and in this kind of situation, Liverpool obviously need a bit of investment from the ownership but for the most part over the past couple years, that hasn’t always been needed.

“It’s more a case of this weird avoidance of the midfield and this absolute commitment to the likes of Henderson, Milner, Keita and Ox and players like this who just for a couple years now maybe haven’t really been at the level required to start every week for Liverpool.

“Or maybe the success or the very near immortal success that we had last season has kind of clouded the judgment a little bit because it feels more like strategic decisions regarding squad planning has been at fault just as much as a lack of spending.”

The Verdict: Worrying summer?

Liverpool find themselves in a position where six first-team players find themselves out of contract in the summer (Transfermarkt), including £52.8m signing Naby Keita and £35m man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The pair are the most obvious examples of what Williams is suggesting with both enduring huge injury lay-offs at Anfield. With Keita missing 84 games to injury and Chamberlain absent for 90, neither player has been able to hold down a regular spot for this reason, with the Englishman playing over 18 top-flight games in just two of five full campaigns.

Liverpool’s inability to move away from players such as those two is a valid argument for the Reds finding themselves in their current predicament, with both stars arguably incapable of attracting fees close to what they were once brought in for, limiting the club’s involvement in the window with expensive stars stuck on the wage bill.

Glasgow Rangers youth player Cameron Scott could be set to leave Ibrox amid fresh interest, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Scott profiled

The Light Blues recruited the 16-year-old when he joined the club’s academy setup, and he’s since worked his way up through the ranks to the periphery of the Scottish Premiership.

The Teddy Bears recently offered the talented prospect a three-year professional contract but this was swiftly rejected due to him wanting to explore his options.

Michael Beale is said to hold an admiration for the starlet having caught his eye during his performances for the U17s, though he could now be on the verge of an exit.

The Latest: Southampton eyeing Scott

According to Football Insider, Premier League side Southampton are ‘plotting a move’ for Scott as a result of turning down fresh terms.

The Saints have reportedly ‘been tracking’ the Scotsman ‘for some time’ and are now ‘alerted’ to the fact that he could be looking to find a new club.

The St. Mary’s Stadium could be a ‘huge lure’ given Nathan Jones’ team’s history of developing young players, though whether anything will come to fruition yet remains to be seen.

The Verdict: Potential blow

Scott is a player with an extremely exciting future ahead of him, and if he was to leave Rangers, it would be a massive blow.

The defender already has experience at international level having been fielded for Scotland’s youth side and is a mainstay in the Glasgow outfit’s development squad.

Beale has admitted that he wants to start introducing more up-and-coming talents into the first team, though that might not yet be possible for Scott with his next steps uncertain.

West Ham United’s academy seems to have produced a new top talent every other year, with Declan Rice the current crowning jewel of those to be promoted.

The central midfielder has announced himself as not only a mainstay in David Moyes’ team but in the England side too, with his combative displays belying his incredible technical proficiency.

There are few who can hold down the engine room with as much poise as the 24-year-old, as he breaks up play and then utilises his quality to set his teammates on the counter.

However, rumours have persisted for some time now linking him with a move from east London, and especially following this relegation-threatened campaign a summer exit seems all the more likely.

Therefore, even if they do receive the British transfer record that his Scottish manager demands, they could once again look to the academy for his readymade replacement.

Who can replace Declan Rice at the London Stadium?

That man is Freddie Potts, who has been shining for the U23s for some time now. His composed and classy midfield performances even earned him his senior debut last season, which he built upon in a slightly more elongated cameo in this campaign’s Europa Conference League.

He is widely regarded as the next big thing at the club, with journalist Roshane Thomas even lauding him in a Tweet where he earmarks him as the club’s Mark Noble successor.

“The long-term replacement for Noble is a young player in the academy called Freddie Potts. [He’s the] best prospect at the club,” he said.

The 19-year-old, who is the son of former Hammers great Steve Potts, boasts a bright future in which he even suggested himself that he hopes to emulate Rice. Upon signing his new contract, he claimed:

“Declan Rice has been my role model since he’s pushed through into the first team. 

“The way he’s gone through the Academy to become the player he has now – as West Ham captain and to play in the Euros at the moment with England – that really inspires me to try to follow his journey.”

How is Potts performing for the U23s?

Potts has starred this season yet again for the youngsters, where he has featured 14 times in the Premier League 2 whilst notching two assists.

However, in the Football League Trophy is where he has truly shone, as he boasts a 7.50 average rating whilst clashing with senior sides.

His work rate and creativity are outlined perfectly in these games however, where he averages 4.5 tackles and three interceptions per game, and pairs this with one key pass per 90 too, via Sofascore.

For comparison, this season Rice records 2.3 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.2 key passes per game, also via Sofascore.

The two do show striking similarities, and should their club captain leave they can be safe in the knowledge that someone of Potts’ quality is waiting patiently in the wings.

Everton will need to seriously strengthen their squad should they secure survival in the Premier League this season and now a new potential transfer target has emerged ahead of the summer.

What’s the latest on Florentino Luis to Everton?

According to the Portuguese newspaper Record, Everton are plotting a move for Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis.

As per the report, Everton are joined by Manchester United in their pursuit of the player but will not be able to make contact until the summer with the Portuguese giants keen for the player to concentrate on the remainder of the campaign.

Could Luis be the dream Idrissa Gueye heir?

Despite Everton’s struggles this season, there is no doubt that Idrissa Gana Gueye has been one of the standout consistent performers at Goodison Park since reuniting with his former club in the summer.

The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has tallied up an 86% pass completion rate, won 58% of his duels and successfully completed 65% of his dribbles over 18 Premier League appearances, proving that he has been a reliable presence in the centre of the pitch.

Unfortunately for Everton, the Senegal international is now 33 years old with a contract that will expire in the summer of 2024 which leaves the club in a position where they will need to find a successor for their high-performing player and Luis could be the dream heir.

In comparison, 20 Liga Portugal appearances, Luis has registered three assists and tallied up a 90% pass completion rate, while successfully completing 71% of his dribble attempts, proving they are similar players as far as their composure and ball carrying are concerned.

A dominant midfielder, the 23-year-old has also made 1.9 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and won 4.3 duels per game.

When ranking Luis amongst his positional peers in the Men’s next best eight competitions, the talented enforcer ranks in the top 15% for assists, pass completion, progressive passes, tackles, interceptions and aerial duels won, proving that he is both potent in attack and defensively sound.

As a result, it’s hardly a surprise that the Portuguese ace has been the recipient of high praise with his former youth coach Joao Tralhao hailing the youngster while even comparing him to Casemiro:

“[He has] an exceptional talent and physical qualities totally in line with his footballing qualities”, Tralhao told Bernabeu Digital.

“[He] has a very similar profile to Casemiro.

“From very early on, we realised that Florentino was on his way to becoming an elite player.”

With that being said, the signing of Luis would be a great piece of business for Everton this summer and could provide Sean Dyche with the perfect player to ultimately replace Gueye when his time comes to an end at Goodison Park.

Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is raring to go in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester United as he looks set to return from his recent suspension.

Why was Bruno suspended?

The Brazilian midfielder has now been missing for Newcastle’s previous three games in the Premier League after picking up a straight red card in the game against Southampton.

Indeed, the 25-year-old may feel incredibly fortunate to be in the picture for Sunday’s game after serving the required three-game suspension in the three games between the semi-final second leg and the final.

And speaking on The Magpie Channel TV YouTube account, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has claimed the midfielder is eager to get going on Sunday:

(5:50) “I know for a fact he is absolutely desperate to get back involved. I think he’s just been like an excited school kid for the last few weeks looking forward to this game.

“In a way, I don’t think it’s a bad thing he’s had a rest for a couple of weeks because I think he looked like he probably needed that. Hopefully, he’s match sharp enough.”

Will Bruno Guimaraes start in the cup final?

Guimaraes has played a huge role in Newcastle’s recent success since landing on Tyneside last January and has already racked up 41 appearances for the Toon.

And in those games, he has been able to provide them with a return of nine goals and four assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

But the more impressive stat and what may reassure Newcastle fans even more going into the final on Sunday is that with Guimaraes in the starting XI this season, they have not lost a single game.

Newcastle’s record this term has been seriously impressive having only lost three games across all competitions so far.

The Brazilian did play a part in the defeat against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup back in January, however, it has to be noted he did come off the bench with only half an hour to play.

And with their only two league defeats of the campaign coming in the two games against Liverpool which the 25-year-old was not involved in, this will surely suggest he is set to return straight to the XI.

Records aside, the Brazilian has now been out of competitive action since last month which should mean he will come into the game at Wembley full of energy.

This could prove an exciting prospect for those at Newcastle with the United side coming into the game on Sunday having played on Thursday and on the back of a much more gruelling set of fixtures.

Liverpool have previously been linked with a move for Josko Gvardiol and a new claim has now emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the latest on Liverpool’s interest in Gvardiol?

According to journalist David Lynch, the Reds will be “all over” the RB Leipzig centre-back in an attempt to bolster their squad heading into the 2023/24 campaign.

Speaking on the Born And Red YouTube channel, Lynch claimed: “I’ve absolutely no doubt that Liverpool will be all over Gvardiol in the summer.

“The Red Bull link, I know they watch them regularly and will absolutely love him.

“He says he’s really keen on coming to Liverpool but it’s just the price tag that could be an issue. You would have to do something in terms of moving a centre-half on for decent-ish money I think to even look at that.”

Klopp could finally bin Joe Gomez

There is little doubt that things need to change at Anfield and that became crystal clear once again in the humiliating 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday night in the Champions League.

The Reds took their heaviest home defeat ever in Europe when Carlo Ancelotti’s side ran riot under the floodlights on the red side of Merseyside in another humbling realisation for Jurgen Klopp that his once successful squad has turned stale.

This poor performance came just a day after FSG confirmed that they were not interested in selling and will continue to work in the best interests of the club, so reinvestment should be their number one priority in the development and pursuit of further success.

As suggested by Lynch, the club would likely need to bolster funds by moving on another centre-back this summer and one player who should surely be in the firing line for an Anfield exit is Joe Gomez after his “nightmare” display against Madrid – as dubbed by writer Demar Grant.

The 25-year-old dud was absolutely savaged when it came to player ratings with the hard-to-impress L’Equipe giving the Liverpool defender just a two out of ten rating in the aftermath of his blunder-filled performance.

The popular French publication wrote that Klopp would ‘undoubtedly regret’ playing Gomez over Joel Matip, citing that ‘the English defender, who was very feverish in defence, was involved in all the goals conceded’.

Gvardiol, on the other hand, has been a standout performer for his side in the Bundesliga and has been attracting plenty of attention for his solid defensive performances in the Leipzig back-line and, in comparison to Gomez, has been a reliable presence.

The Croatian defender – hailed “fearless” by Rio Ferdinand – has outperformed Gomez in a number of attributes already this season including pass completion rate (88.6% v 85.6%), interceptions (22 v 21), blocks (20 v 15), take-on success rate (90.9% v 80%), aerial duels won (59.5% v 53.3%) and shot-creating actions (20 v 16).

These statistics indicate that the ex-Dinamo Zagreb star would be an upgrade in terms of what he offers defensive and in possession – by being more efficient and effective with his defensive and attacking actions.

With that being said, if Liverpool can meet the reported exit clause of €110m (£97m) it would be a great investment into repairing the defensive issues in the squad and Klopp must ditch Gomez in order to sign the Leipzig enforcer.

Everton are reportedly eyeing up a potential move for Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres, after failing to sign him in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: January talks

Everton were reportedly ‘in talks’ over signing Gyokeres late in January, after scouting him playing for Coventry in the Championship.

They were thought to be lining up a £15m bid for him, which would not have been deemed to be enough to secure his signature.

The Latest: Interest remains

As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park outfit, as well as AFC Bournemouth, are ‘keeping tabs’ on Gyokeres’ situation until the summer, and are still ‘keen’ on a move for him.

He is likely to be available for between £10-12m, which would be up to half the £20m that Coventry demanded to sell him in January, and the Championship side are ‘concerned’ about potentially losing him on a free transfer, with his contract set to expire in 2024.

Thus, the summer presents their best opportunity to get a maximum price for Gyokeres, who would only have a year left on his contract.

The Verdict: Striker needed

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has proven to be too unreliable with injury problems, not just this season but in previous campaigns as well.

The Merseyside club are the lowest scorers in the Premier League with 17, and are in desperate need of some more attacking firepower.

Lauded by his manager Mark Robins for his ‘unbelievable’ power and technique, Gyokeres is currently the second-top scorer in the Championship with 15 goals, while he has also provided a handy five assists (BBC).

Yes, the Premier League is a big step up, but the 24-year-old has plenty of time to adapt, and would provide the killer instinct that the Toffees have been missing so far this season.

Referee Chris Kavanagh and the VAR team may have made a big mistake in the most recent Arsenal match as they seemed to miss a clear handball inside the box.

What’s the latest on Arsenal and VAR?

Things got off to a terrible start for the Gunners at home this weekend as they conceded after just nine seconds when Philip Billing opened the scoring for Bournemouth.In a further twist, the Premier League leaders then fell another goal behind as Marcos Senesi headed the Cherries 2-0 up.

Just after the hour mark, however, Thomas Partey pulled one back for the Gunners and with 20 minutes on the clock Ben White had then netted an equaliser.

Then, with essentially the last kick of the game, Reiss Nelson fired in an incredible winner to hand Arsenal all three points in the most dramatic of turnarounds.

However, things could have been quite different had Mikel Arteta and co been given a penalty for a handball – with this video suggesting a big mistake was made by the officials

What happened with the VAR handball decision at Arsenal?

As the image shows, Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham goes up to head the ball clear but under the press of Fabio Vieira, he gets himself mixed up and it strikes his arm inside his own box.

The officials did check it but reportedly deemed that it was accidental with Mepham's arm not in an unnatural enough position to be a foul.

Incredibly, the Gunners had four handball appeals turned down by VAR in the game – showing just how much pressure they put on the opposition – and it must have felt as if it just wasn't going to be their way.

That was at least until Nelson stepped up with a winner to keep his side five points clear at the top of the table.

A number of Arsenal fans online have all praised the substitute cameo made by Takehiro Tomiyasu last night in the Europa League as he came on and impressed at left-back.

What’s the latest on Takehiro Tomiyasu at Arsenal? The Gunners faced Sporting CP away from home in the first leg of their last-16 European match this week and found things pretty awkward in Portugal.Indeed, even though they took the lead thanks to William Saliba, they were pulled back level just 12 minutes later when Goncalo Inacio headed in from a corner.Then Sporting actually took the lead through Paulinho in the second half and it took a huge slice of luck when Granit Xhaka’s pass deflected off Hidemasa Morita and into the back of the net to draw Arsenal level at 2-2.With Kieran Tierney absent through illness, Tomiyasu was asked to come on at left-back for the last 27 minutes and he really helped steady the ship for Mikel Arteta’s men.As per SofaScore, he finished the game with a 7.3 match rating (the best of any substitute from either team). What’s more, he also made one interception, won one tackle, won five out of five ground duels and two out of three aerial duels, and also pulled off one key pass and completed three out of three successful dribbles.Clearly, he had a pretty impressive cameo and it’s safe to say the Arsenal fans enjoyed seeing him fill in at left-back. Here are some of the best responses online…[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/_philcosta/status/1633908357756010499?s=46&t=hH2NiXoN5Q53lPpbpDhPRA[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/ltarsenal/status/1633930184188473348[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/Fragiie_Millz/status/1633930163372032003[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/Cgancgan/status/1633930005188165633[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/trickyreds14/status/1633937317458235393[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/goonernumber31/status/1633937505543176192[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/lolgoil/status/1633939280396468224[/EMBED_TWITTER]