According to reports from The Metro this afternoon, Liverpool have triggered the £14.2million release clause of Villarreal striker Luciano Vietto.
The young Argentine has been in fantastic form during his debut campaign for the Yellow Submarines to claim 20 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.That includes twelve strikes in La Liga alongside a return of eight goals and four assists from his 12 Europa League outings.
Vietto also claimed the Spanish top flight’s Player of the Month award for December.
It could be his only season at Estadio El Madrigal, however, according to The Metro. Sourcing Spanish news outlet AS, they claim Liverpool have triggered the 21 year-old’s €20million buy-out fee.
It follows a campaign in which the Reds’ current striking options – Daniel Sturridge, Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini and Mario Balotelli – managed to net just eight Premier League goals between them.
Liverpool are by no means only interested party, however. The Metro also moot Arsenal and Atletico Madrid as potential suitors of the 5 foot 8 poacher.
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The transfer window has only just officially opened and free spending Manchester City have wasted no time in closing in on their first big money signing.
The Telegraph are reporting that City are ready to bid £50m for Wolfsburg’s attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. £50m for De Bruyne?! Have they lost the plot?
This news comes just days after the FFP restrictions troubling the club were lifted now that City have met all the financial targets set by UEFA.
The Belgium international impressed for Wolfsburg last season – scoring 10 goals and providing twenty assists in the Bundesliga – and has become a vital part of the side at the Volkswagen Arena since his Chelsea exit in 2014.
Any move for the player would raise a number of questions, however, and there are several important issues City need to take into account before lodging any kind of bid for the player.
Here are FOUR reasons this is a move to avoid, especially with Raheem Sterling also a £50m target.
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Premier League Failure
De Bruyne has already experienced life in the Premier League in a short lived spell at champions Chelsea. He signed for the club in for £6.8m back in 2012 from Belgian side Genk with a reputation as a top talent.
Life in English football didn’t work out all for the player, though, with the midfielder featuring only a handful of times after failing to make any kind of impact under manager Jose Mourinho.
Jose cut his losses and sold the player to Wolfsburg for £20m in 2014, hinting that he may not be suited to the English game.
Homegrown Nightmare
City are already facing a major problem this summer, and that should be the focus of attention instead of signing De Bruyne.
The club are severely lacking homegrown talent for their first-team squad next season, with just Joe Hart and defender Gael Clichy meeting the specification.
The Citizens have been heavily linked with a number of English players including Raheem Sterling, Jack Wilshere and Fabian Delph and should be concentrating their efforts on bringing in talented Englishmen to avoid any more potential penalties for rule breaching.
Silva A Cut Above
Should the player complete a move to the Etihad Stadium, he is likely to try to command a central attacking midfielder role. This is not an easy task for anyone.
David Silva has well and truly made the position his own, consistently producing incredible performances in a City shirt.
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Silva is the key man at the club and the player is involved in every attack, weighing in with plenty of goals and assists, and has developed a wonderful relationship with Sergio Aguero.
It is certain that De Bruyne would have to adapt his game to fit around the Spaniard, If he wanted to make any kind of impact at the club.
Held To Ransom
City would be crazy to pay £50m for the 24 year old Belgian. When you compare the deal to that of other players in his position you can see just how ridiculous the price is.
Eden Hazard moved to Stamford Bridge for £32m, and he is arguably the best player in the Premier League at this moment in time. There are plenty more examples all over the division, too – Juan Mata joined Manchester United for £37m and Alexis Sanchez joined Arsenal for £35m.
There is little doubt those players are all better than De Bruyne and prove it makes little sense for City to invest so much in a player that is nowhere near the highest standard.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has hinted that Paul Pogba will eventually become the club’s captain on a permanent basis.
Michael Carrick is currently United’s skipper, but the midfielder has only made one appearance for the English giants this season, and is widely expired to retire next summer.
Antonio Valencia has held the armband in Carrick’s absence, but the full-back has missed United’s last two Premier League games with a hamstring problem.
Pogba, who is valued at £67.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has stepped forward to captain the team against Leicester City and Burnley, and Mourinho has suggested that the 24-year-old will ultimately settle into that role on a full-time basis.
Mourinho told reporters:
“Against Leicester we felt that it could be an extra motivation for him and that was it, there was no special decision.
“But maybe, because he’s a young guy and made in the club academy, he has the conditions to be captain in the future.”
United are currently 12 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League table after drawing their last two in the league against Leicester and Burnley.
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Mourinho’s side, who have been widely criticised in recent weeks, will finish 2017 with a home game against Southampton this weekend.
It is shaping up to be a very busy January transfer window for Everton.
Toffees boss Sam Allardyce has been extremely open with the fact that he wants to bring at least a couple of players to Goodison Park this month.
One of those currently being linked with a move to Everton is Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who has made 16 Premier League appearances this season.
There is no doubting that Shelvey is a wonderful passer of the ball – among the best in the Premier League – but it is another question entirely whether the midfielder can be trusted.
The 25-year-old, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has already picked up a couple of red cards this season, and he is really struggling to shake the image that currently surrounds him.
A move to Merseyside could well see Shelvey thrive, but the Everton supporters are not convinced. Indeed, when the transfer rumour was brought to light, there were a large number that said ‘no thanks’ to the deal.
As Liverpool prepare for what will likely be their biggest home test of the season, a visit from the Premier League’s runaway leaders Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp will know his team selection must be perfect for Sunday’s 4pm kickoff.
Anything less than an impeccable performance from the Reds and the chances are that City will march to yet another emphatic win over a Premier League rival.
At this point in the season, most positions in Liverpool’s starting XI pick themselves, but a handful remain contentious – including right-back. In the absence of Nathaniel Clyne, England international Joe Gomez has occupied the No.2 berth on the most part this season, including last time out against Everton, but he’s faced strong competition from academy product Trent Alexander-Arnold who has made a real impression during his outings for the first team.
Gomez is the more natural defender, something that could be of huge importance against the likes of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, but there are two ways of looking at City’s phenomenal attacking cast and Alexander-Arnold’s more adventurous instincts would at least give them something to think about in terms of tracking back.
So, Liverpool fans, who would you start at right-back this weekend? Let us know by voting below…
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Newcastle United are keeping close tabs on Troy Deeney’s situation at Watford, according to The Sun.
What’s the word?
The Magpies have reportedly been hunting for a new attacking player to help boost the team’s goal tally.
So far, Rafael Benitez’s men have scored 22 goals in 24 Premier League matches, with Joselu top scorer on four.
The Sun claims that Watford boss Javi Garcia is keen for Deeney to stay, but Newcastle and West Bromwich Albion are circling.
So far this season, the 29-year-old has scored three goals and created two assists in 17 appearances in all competitions.
Is Deeney a good choice for Newcastle?
The North-East outfit could do with an additional attacking player up front, and the Watford man possesses something that the team is currently lacking – power.
Deeney is strong in the box, and can also provide, but his current form this season suggests that he may not hit the ground running.
Perhaps the forward is lacking focus and could do with a fresh start, but given the relegation battle that Newcastle find themselves in, they need someone who will make an instant impact.
In addition, there are doubts over whether Newcastle will have the funds to seal a permanent transfer.
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Mike Ashley’s sale of the club remains up in the air.
Robert Snodgrass was one of the many Aston Villa players who impressed in the Second City derby against Birmingham City on Sunday.
The attacking midfielder played the full 90 minutes of the Championship clash, which ended in a 2-0 win, thanks to goals from Albert Adomah and Conor Hourihane.
Snodgrass has impressed at Villa Park since joining the Midlands outfit on loan from West Ham United.
The Scotland international has started 25 league games and has come off the bench in one.
During that time, the midfielder has scored six goals and produced nine assists, helping Villa reach second in the table.
The 30-year-old’s form has raised questions about his future and whether he will return to West Ham.
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The Scotsman struggled for game time at the East London outfit, and it is uncertain whether he will get much of a chance under manager David Moyes.
From the point of view of Villa’s fanbase, the majority are keen for Snodgrass to sign a permanent deal, and they made it clear when the player sent a post-match tweet.
With Henrikh Mkhitaryan cup-tied, an Arsenal victory in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday will require some effective re-jostling of their forward line from Arsene Wenger, the ultimate point of contention being the left flank – Mesut Ozil looks set to create play from the right, while January signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will almost certainly lead the line.
Following the departure of Alexis Sanchez, the north London outfit don’t exactly boast an embarrassment of riches in that position. But the main candidates to face Manchester City there on Sunday are England international Danny Welbeck and 21-year-old Alex Iwobi.
We put that exact selection headache to Arsenal fans earlier this week, and it was the latter who came out on top in our poll with a convincing 73% of Gunners supporters voting in his favour.
The Nigerian international hasn’t always impressed this term but it appears Arsenal fans back him far more than Welbeck, whose campaign has once again been disrupted by injury problems.
How would you line up Wenger’s side on Sunday, Arsenal fans? Let us know by commenting below…
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Rangers announced on Wednesday evening that full-back James Tavernier has signed a new three-and-a-half year deal at the club, extending his contract which was due to run out in 2019.
The full-back has been in excellent form for his club this season, scoring six goals and providing eight assists from the right hand side of defence, arguably becoming the best in his position in Scottish football.
Retaining his talents for his peak years is fantastic news for the Light Blues, who know that retaining their best players is just as important as attracting new stars to the club if they’re ever going to compete with Celtic.
Tavernier can’t close the gap on the Scottish champions on his own, but he’s a player who has the determination to win major honours at Ibrox and can certainly play a big role.
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Fans were left absolutely delighted by the news he’ll be staying and took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
Tottenham Hotspur will look to cement their spot in the top four of the Premier League when they host Huddersfield Town at Wembley on Saturday.
Spurs had spent some time outside of the Champions League qualification spots after struggling to hit the heights they did last season, but a late 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend combined with Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat against Manchester United saw them climb up to fourth.
Harry Kane’s 88th-minute goal proved to be the difference between the two teams in south London, and Mauricio Pochettino will know that his team have a potential opportunity to increase the gap between them and Antonio Conte’s side into the latest round of fixtures given the Blues face a tough-looking trip to runaway leaders Manchester City on Sunday.
The north London outfit followed up three points with a comfortable 6-1 win against Rochdale in their fifth round FA Cup replay during the week, and they will hope to make it six wins on the bounce at Wembley in all competitions against the Terriers, who are just three points above the relegation zone and in desperate need of points themselves.
Pochettino was forced to make changes to his team against Palace because of injury with Jan Vertonghen missing out, while Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier also replaced Kieran Trippier and Son Heung-Min respectively in the starting line-up.
Following some impressive individual performances in the thrashing of Rochdale the Argentine boss may well be considering making some alterations against David Wagner’s men.
Here is how Tottenham must line up against Huddersfield on Saturday, ahead of Hugo Lloris in goal…
Defence
Pochettino lined up with a back four of Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier and Ben Davies against Crystal Palace last weekend, and he should definitely make one change.
The former continues to be a bit of a liability and produced three foul throws against the Eagles, and it is time for the more reliable Kieran Trippier to come back into the XI for the visit of Huddersfield.
Tottenham announced on Friday that Jan Vertonghen was back in training after an ankle problem but unless he is 100% fit he should start the game on the substitutes’ bench, especially with the huge Champions League last 16 second leg tie against Juventus to come on Wednesday night.
Midfield
Dier dropping into the backline at Selhurst Park meant that Victor Wanyama came into the XI to make his first Premier League since he returned from a knee injury at the start of 2018.
The Kenya international produced an impressive performance alongside the in-form Mousa Dembele in the middle of the park, and there is no doubt that the duo should start together again for the visit of Huddersfield to ensure that Tottenham don’t slip up in a match they need to win to boost their chances of finishing in the top four.
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Attack
The January addition of Lucas Moura and the return of Erik Lamela from injury has given Pochettino plenty of headaches in the attacking midfield positions in recent weeks.
The latter got the nod ahead of Son Heung-Min against Crystal Palace, but the South Korean forward and Lucas both shone against Rochdale during the week and should be in contention to start against Huddersfield.
Meanwhile, Dele Alli hasn’t been at his best in the last few matches and the Argentine boss should look to leave him on the substitutes’ bench against the Terriers, playing Christian Eriksen through the middle and Son and Lucas on the flanks, with the main man Harry Kane up top.