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After obliterating Manchester United 5-0 last weekend, Liverpool couldn’t get past Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on Saturday in a similarly ruthless fashion, ultimately stumbling to a 2-2 draw after being 2-0 up after 24 minutes thanks to goals from club captain Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane.

Despite the disappointing overall result, one player that we feel stood out at the weekend and was yet again another shining light for the Merseyside club, was Mohamed Salah, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £200k-per-week according to Spotrac.

The Egyptian, who started the match at the weekend and played through the full 90 minutes against Graham Potter’s side, managed to assist Henderson’s goal to open the scoring after a delightful cut back from the right-hand side.

Mane was the only one of Liverpool’s offensive trio to beat the goalkeeper but Salah’s offensive display was still excellent. He had one shot on target, completed 100% of the three dribbles he attempted and also completed 22 of 30 passes. Two of those happened to be two key passes while he won all three of the ground duels he was involved in, ultimately earning himself an overall match rating of 7.4/10, making him the joint-highest rated Liverpool player on the day according to SofaScore.

This shows just how much of an attacking threat he was for the Reds on the day but just couldn’t find himself a goal, something that will presumably be a big disappointment for him as an individual given how he’s managed to net in his seven consecutive Liverpool league appearances prior to the Brighton clash.

Since joining Liverpool back in the 2017 summer transfer window from AS Roma for a reported fee of £34m, the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £90m according to Transfermarkt, has made 216 appearances for the club across all competitions in which he has managed to rack up an impressive total of 140 goals and 53 assists, comfortably cementing himself as one of Liverpool’s most important attacking players.

Even though he failed to add another goal to his incredible tally for the season against Brighton, Salah and everyone else at the club can be pleased that he still managed to put in a top-quality performance at the weekend. Hopefully, he’ll get back to scoring form either on Wednesday in their next Champions League game against Atletico Madrid or next weekend in their next Premier League outing versus West Ham United.

In other news: Big worry: £58.5m-rated Liverpool ace who lost 75% duels really struggled vs Brighton – opinion

West Ham faces a centre back crisis ahead of their next Premier League match against Arsenal, with Craig Dawson suspended and Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna injured.

This could leave a door ajar for a young prospect in the Hammers academy to make the step up and give David Moyes a selection headache.

The onus could fall on Aji Alese but another such player is Levi Laing, the 19-year-old centre back who has featured for the West Ham U23 squad ten times in the Premier League 2 as well as making an appearance in the EFL Trophy in September.

The defender signed his first professional contract back in July 2021 and this runs until 2023, with the option of an extra year. His U23 coach Dmitri Halajko stated: “The progress that he’s made in such a short period of time has been really positive”. The future looks bright for the youngster.

This wasn’t the only praise exuded by admirers, with Mark Robson explaining that Laing was “outstanding” following a performance against Exeter in a 3-0 win for the U23s.

West Ham have been fantastic this season, but with so many games played in Europe and domestically, there is injuries at the heart of the defence, and with Dawson suspended for the next Premier League match, Moyes should have no clams about putting Laing in the mix.

Ogbonna is fast approaching 34 and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, plus his injury woes, there is absolutely no reason why the young Englishman can’t be the long-term heir to the towering centreback in the near future.

Both players are over 6 foot 1 and have a commanding presence in the air. With Ogbonna and Laing sharing traits such as height and the way they play, then it could be an effortless change.

Moyes could end up saving the club millions in the transfer market too, despite European success bringing in added revenue, the future could look bright for the Hammers.

AND in other news, Sources: West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is closing in on his first transfer window at Ibrox in charge of Rangers as January is just around the corner.

The Dutch head coach joined the club in November and has not yet had the opportunity to bring in players of his own to stamp his identity on the playing squad.

Whilst it can be easy to get wrapped up in transfer rumours and get excited about the endless possibilities that come with a new signing, what must be remembered is that with every incoming comes with it the chance of a current player leaving.

Brutally axe

One Rangers dud who may find themselves on the chopping block next month is rotation forward Scott Wright, who has found game time hard to come by this season.

The Gers are reportedly interested in signing Icelandic winger Albert Gudmundsson. According to The Telegraph, the Scottish giants may look to snap him up on a pre-contract deal in January as his contract at AZ Alkmaar expires in the summer, with Celtic also said to be battling for his signature.

This means that Rangers could bring him in for £0 at the end of the campaign and his arrival could spell the end of Wright’s time at Ibrox.

The Scot has played 11 times for the club this term and only started three games in the Premiership, scoring one goal and providing zero assists as an attacker. In the Europa League, he has made three appearances and scored one goal – starting one match – whilst creating one chance in that time.

Gudmundsson, meanwhile, has scored four goals and provided two assists in 12 Eredivisie starts for Alkmaar this season. This comes after he managed seven goals and four assists in 25 league starts in the 2020/21 campaign, showing that he has the ability to both score and create goals.

AZ technical director Max Huiberts previously explained what type of player the beast is. The chief said: “Albert is a creative, technically skilled and fast player who has proven that he can play in different positions in the attack.”

Therefore, the signing of Gudmundsson could leave the £5.6k-per-week dud, Wright, being brutally axed from Rangers by van Bronckhorst. The Scottish youth international has not shown enough this season to prove that he can be an important player for the club and bringing another player in who plays in his position could leave him with no choice but to leave if he wants regular game time.

AND in other news, Big boost: Boxing Day selection update emerges that’ll leave Rangers fans buzzing…

Celtic have been dealt a huge injury blow regarding Callum McGregor.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail (via the Glasgow Evening Times), who claim that the 28-year-old requires surgery on a fractured cheekbone which the central midfielder picked up in the Scottish Cup win over Alloa Athletic last weekend.

The report goes on to state that this will keep the Scotland international out of action for between four to six weeks, meaning he looks set to miss fixtures against Hearts, Dundee United, Rangers, Motherwell, Aberdeen and perhaps even the two-legged Europa Conference League tie against Bodo/Glimt on February 17 and 24.

Fans will be livid

While injuries are very much part and parcel of the game, when taking into account the sheer number of setbacks Ange Postecoglou’s side have suffered this season, in addition to the fact that Celtic were playing a League One side in the cup fixture, the 56-year-old’s decision to start McGregor against Alloa could very well have left the Parkhead faithful livid with the manager, particularly considering the tough run of games Celtic have in the coming weeks.

Indeed, with both James McCarthy and Reo Hatate on the bench for the fixture, two midfielders who arguably would have benefitted much more from first-team minutes than the Celtic captain, exactly why Postecoglou decided to field McGregor from the off is very much up for debate.

Granted, the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing, but with Liel Abada and Yosuke Ideguchi also limping off with injuries against Alloa, Postecoglou has once again been left extremely short of options in a number of different positions within his first-team squad.

However, with the Greek-Australian coach suggesting after the 2-1 victory that both Abada’s and Ideguchi’s knocks were not too serious, the duo may well return to action in the not too distant future, although, the loss of McGregor for what could be two months is undoubtedly a huge blow for Celtic – and one that could easily have been avoided.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “pathetic” £10k-p/w Celtic flop with “creative” 82-assist machine

Ange Postetcoglou’s Celtic side head into Sunday’s Premiership fixture off the back of arguably their best performance of the season, with the Bhoys comfortably seeing off their Glasgow rivals 3-0 in Wednesday’s Old Firm clash.

As such, spirits will undoubtedly have been high within the Hoops squad at Lennoxtown this week, with the match against Graham Alexander’s Motherwell, coupled with the Gers’ challenging test against third-placed Hearts, very much bringing with it the potential of Celtic moving clear at the top of the Premiership standings.

With Postecoglou recently revealing that the returning Tom Rogic – as well as Daizen Maeda – will be available for selection on Sunday, despite suggestions that the Australian might require a rest after his involvement with his national team, it would seem a wise move for the Bhoys boss to unleash the 29-year-old from the off at Fir Park, as the sight of the attacking midfielder will give Motherwell nightmares.

Postecoglou must unleash Rogic

Indeed, the £1.35m-rated Rogic has always been something of a thorn in the side of Motherwell, with the Aussie having scored five goals and provided his teammates with five assists over his 18 appearances against the Steelmen, including an extremely well-taken winner in Celtic’s 1-0 victory over today’s opponents back in December.

Furthermore, the £15k-per-week midfielder has also been in impressive form over his further 17 Premiership fixtures so far this season, scoring three goals, registering six assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates. These metrics have seen the 29-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

As such, considering that the player who Postecoglou dubbed “important” has something of a penchant for making his mark against Motherwell, in addition to his fine form thus far in the current campaign, the Celtic coach simply must unleash the attacking midfielder today, as he could well be a game-changer for the Bhoys.

In other news – Forget Dembele: Postecoglou must now unleash “generational” Celtic prodigy who has “no fear”

[ad_pod ]Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier has reacted on Twitter after former Saints player Virgil van Dijk claimed in an interview published on the BBC that he “gave everything” prior to his £75m move to Liverpool in January 2018.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Dutchman quickly established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League during his time at St Mary’s, and it was no surprise when he started to attract admiring glances from some of the bigger clubs in the division, such as Liverpool.

The Merseyside outfit attempted to bring the centre-back to Anfield during the summer of 2017 but Saints reacted by reporting them for an illegal approach, with the defender later handing in a transfer request and reportedly refusing to play for the team.

The summer transfer window ended with the Netherland international remaining on the south coast, and he featured 12 times before finally moving on.

Speaking to BBC about his exit, Van Dijk said: “After the end of August [and the transfer window] I put my head down, played for Southampton and gave everything. I was happy to play because I came back from an eight-month injury.

“When everything happened over the summer, people doubt you. For me, I really didn’t care as I gave everything in games and training.”

How has Le Tissier reacted?

The Sky Sports pundit reacted with two emojis of a thinking face and a surprised face, before going into more detail when replying to another user about Van Dijk’s claim.

Has he got a point?

He certainly has, because you clearly aren’t giving everything if you aren’t helping your team on the pitch.

Despite the fact the former Celtic man was recovering from months out through injury, it also seemed apparent that he wasn’t putting in the maximum effort, with his final appearance in the 4-1 home defeat by Leicester City a prime example of that.

With the Dutchman knowing that a move to Liverpool was on the cards he was never going to be as committed as he once was as a further injury could have prevented a move, no matter what he might be saying about it now.

Newcastle United have their eye on Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, according to journalist Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

According to The Athletic last month, the writing is seemingly on the wall for the 30-year-old at Arsenal as he approaches the end of his contract in June. He could be available on a cut-price deal in January if the Gunners want to avoid losing him for free.

Lacazette has only started three Premier League games so far this season, his solitary goal rescuing a point against Crystal Palace, although Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher applauded him for an ‘outstanding’ performance in that game.

The latest

According to Konur on Twitter, Newcastle are ‘closely monitoring the situation’ of Lacazette at the Emirates Stadium.

They aren’t the only club keeping tabs, though, with his former employers Lyon also lurking as the Ligue 1 outfit have plans to bring him back when the January transfer window rolls around.

The verdict

Lacazette has proven himself to be a reliable Premier League goalscorer by netting 51 times in 134 appearances in the division.

Newly-installed Newcastle manager Eddie Howe already has a proven marksman at his disposal in the form of Callum Wilson, but according to Transfermarkt, the 43-year-old’s preferred formation is a 4-4-2. That would mark a change from the setups employed by Steve Bruce and Graeme Jones in recent weeks as both often went with just one central striker.

If Howe wants to implement a 4-4-2 at St James’ Park, he may need an upgrade on Joelinton and Dwight Gayle, who between them have scored just 11 Premier League goals since the start of the 2019/20 season. Lacazette, who has more than double that tally on his own in the same timeframe, would give Howe a much more potent option to partner with Wilson, and he could come relatively cheap if Arsenal want to make some money on him before letting him walk away as a free agent next summer.

In other news, the price for this PIF target has been revealed 

Manchester United are targeting River Plate’s “rising star” Enzo Fernández this summer and he could slot straight into the team ahead of Brazilian midfielder Fred.

What’s the story?

United are set for a huge overhaul of their under performing squad before next season and according to The Daily Star, up to four midfielders could leave.

This would leave room for plenty of new additions with one target being Argentinian Fernández.

He currently play’s in South America for River Plate but could be persuaded by the lure of one of Europe’s biggest clubs. However, the Red Devils face competition for him from Real Madrid and local rivals Man City, with the player said to have a £20.6m release clause in his contract.

He’s better than Fred

One of the midfielders he would be competing with, or potentially replacing, at Old Trafford would be Brazilian star Fred. He has had a rollercoaster of a career at United and at 29 years old isn’t getting any younger.

The signing of Fernández could provide the perfect alternative, and if he impresses, the 21-year old could be a mainstay at the Theatre of Dreams for years to come.

He has made 36 appearances for River Plate and in his time at the club has been directly involved in 12 goals from midfield.

When you compare his statistics in the league to that of Fred’s, he excels in most categories. The average number of passes he makes per game is 55.3 compared to the Brazilian’s 48.9.

Fernández is also more of a threat in the air with him winning 1.1 of aerial duels per game compared to Fred’s 0.6.

If United are successful in their bid to sign the Argentinian youngster then it’s likely that he will be one of Erik ten Hag’s first singings as manager at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman is reportedly close to agreeing a deal to take the hot seat at the club and signing Fernández would be the perfect start to his tenure.

He’s known for giving young players a chance having developed some star players during his time at Ajax. It’s a same tradition that is part of the fabric at United and if he was signed it would be a signal of the start of a new era under Erik ten Hag.

IN other news: Manchester United: Anthony Elanga was important in crucial win…

Newcastle United grabbed themselves a vital 1-0 win at Leeds United on Saturday afternoon in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Jonjo Shelvey scored from a free kick in the second half in the only goal of the game after the visitors were left under the cosh at times, with the Whites dominating possession.

As such, some Magpies players struggled more than others, as The Transfer Tavern uses statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who Newcastle’s three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were on the day:

Ryan Fraser (6.8)

Admittedly tied with Jamaal Lascelles in terms of rating (6.8), Fraser ranks third here because he played the whole match, whereas the captain was substituted midway through the second half.

The Scotland international never managed a shot on target, successful dribble or key pass, while he was also inaccurate with three of his four crosses.

He also lost the ball 12 times and managed just 33 touches in total, highlighting his lack of impact at Elland Road.

Sean Longstaff (6.7)

Coming on as a substitute in the first half for the injured Joelinton, Longstaff was given a 6.7 rating.

The 24-year-old midfielder lost four duels and failed to record a single shot on target, dribble or key pass, losing possession nine times in total. Like Fraser, he also managed only 33 touches in the entire game.

Joe Willock (6.3)

Willock was ranked as Newcastle’s worst player on the day, as he was given a 6.3 rating.

The former Arsenal ace lost seven of his duels and was unsuccessful with his two shots and three of his dribble attempts, while he also gave the ball away 13 times.

He only managed 42 touches and was described as ‘anonymous’ by Daily Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards, along with Fraser.

In other news, find out what big NUFC transfer update has been dropped

Liverpool will ‘shut down’ any possibility of Divock Origi joining Newcastle United on loan, according to The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson. 

There was a belief at St James’ Park that Origi would be open to the move in a bid to ‘kickstart his career’.

The forward also fit Eddie Howe’s January criteria, with the new boss pushing for players who have proven themselves in the Premier League.

However, the Reds have ‘no intention’ of sanctioning a temporary move for Origi midway through the season.

Why Liverpool won’t let Origi go

Two of their attackers, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, are set to jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations at the turn of the year, which could see them miss up to eight matches (via The Athletic).

Thus, opportunity knocks for Origi, who’s been limited to just 16 minutes of Premier League football so far this season.

The 20/21 season was a poor one for the Belgian, who only managed to score against League One Lincoln City.

But he’s shown signs of recovering form this term, netting three goals and assisting two more in seven outings.

Fan feed Anfield Watch relayed Wilson’s report, and the reaction among supporters was decidedly mixed.

Liverpool fans split on club’s Origi stance

“FSG are finished”

Credit: @LFCMurrall

“Man let Origi go”

Credit: @_Nkazi_mulo

“They should snatch their hands off”

Credit: @silverrich39

“One day we will be released from the shackles of fsg”

Credit: @kadrihatesjack

“Good. Some depth”

Credit: @TheSalahEra_

“An amazing example of a brilliant professional”

Credit: @shugyoung

“Div can’t leave in Jan. Mane and Salah could return from 2022 Afcon in February as Senegal and Egypt are strong enough to reach the knockout stages even the final.”

Credit: @A_B_Ditlhobolo

In other news, fans are excited by this transfer rumour.