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Even though Liverpool have in the past signed some of their current players for substantial transfer fees such as Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Naby Keita, Diogo Jota and Fabinho among others, we feel there is one player at the club currently residing in Jurgen Klopp’s squad who may have gone under the radar in recent years that we feel FSG should get a lot of praise for securing – Joel Matip.

The Cameroonian joined Liverpool in the summer of 2016 on a free transfer from German side Schalke 04 after the Merseyside club secured a deal for him the previous February.

Since then, the 30-year-old has made 133 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing three assists along the way.

So far this season, Matip has played the full 90 minutes in all but one of Liverpool’s Premier League games and has been ever-present in their three Champions League games, cementing himself as a vital figure for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Shortly after arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2016, Transfermarkt had his market value listed as £16.2m, before shooting up to £36m in December 2019, highlighting a significant impact since his arrival.

At this moment in time, Matip’s market value has fallen back to £16.2m, but we feel this has more to do with him reaching the age of 30 rather than anything to do with his playing time or his quality on the pitch, especially with Klopp calling him an “unbelievable” player in terms of what he can do.

Despite this drop in market value, we feel that it should not take away from how great a signing the defender has been for the Reds considering that FSG managed to get him on a free transfer and what he has since delivered for them on the pitch.

Moving forward, while his market value may not be likely to go back up towards where it was back in 2019, we think Matip has what it takes to continue impressing for the Reds this season and beyond if injuries don’t impact his playing time as they have done in the past.

In other news – Imagine him & Salah: FSG must seal Liverpool move for “incredible” £45m-rated machine

An update has emerged on VVV-Venlo striker Georgios Giakoumakis, regarding Celtic’s pursuit of the forward.

What’s the talk?

According to The Daily Record, Celtic have agreed a £2.1m (€2.5m) fee with Dutch side VVV-Venlo for the transfer of centre-forward Georgios Giakoumakis.

The report claims that the Greek striker will now discuss personal terms with the club, having travelled to Germany to speak with Werder Bremen earlier on Wednesday.

Ange will be buzzing

Ange Postecoglou will be buzzing with this news as it means that Celtic are closing in on an exciting signing. Agreeing the fee with Venlo is a huge step towards bringing him to the club, but they now need to convince him that a transfer to Scotland is more beneficial to him at this point in his career than playing in the second division in Germany with Bremen.

The Greek international scored 26 times in 30 games for Venlo in the Eredivisie, averaging a stunning WhoScored rating of 7.30. He also won an impressive four aerial battles per game and provided one key pass every other match, showing that he had more to his game than just goals.

This means that Celtic could be getting a player who is able to score goals consistently and hold the ball up to link the play throughout matches. Postecoglou would surely love to have a player with these qualities as the old adage states – goals win you games, Giakoumakis produces them like a machine.

Football Oranje founder and editor Michael Bell labeled him as ‘deadly’ and said that he would be a shrewd buy for the Hoops. He told 67HailHail:

“Giakoumakis is a presence up front who is good in the air but also has a strong right foot. He is a handful for the backline and is always full of running. Giakoumakis took a lot of shots for VVV last season and scored a varied range of goals. He is a great penalty taker and deadly from close range.

“However, this is all based on one season for VVV, who relied fully on the Greek forward and built their side around him.

“The big question mark around him is whether he can do it for a side challenging at the top of the table.

“To be honest I am surprised that he hasn’t been snapped up yet. Feyenoord were linked for a while but that seems to have gone cold. I think he would be a good signing for Celtic or Werder [Bremen].”

Therefore, the 6ft 1 goal machine could be an excellent addition to Postecoglou’s squad, if he is able to make the transition from scoring goals in the Netherlands to doing it in Scotland. For a price of £2.1m, it is worth the gamble for the Hoops.

AND in other news, 100% duels lost: Celtic disaster who made just 3 passes embarrassed Ange vs AZ…

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will keep faith with Ashley Young against Liverpool rather than restoring Matt Targett to the line-up, Ashley Preece has predicted. 

The lowdown

Young has started five Premier League games after returning to Villa Park from Inter Milan, including the last three.

He’s been used as a left midfielder and central midfielder but slotted in at left-back against Leicester City to cover for a sidelined Matt Targett.

Targett was missing after sustaining a head injury in the clash with Manchester City.

But Gerrard says the £15.3million-rated Englishman is ‘ready to go’ ahead of Saturday’s trip to Anfield, having taken a full part in training this week.

The new boss’ predecessor Dean Smith hailed Targett as a ‘standout’ player in the Villa ranks.

The latest

Revealing his predicted XI for Birmingham Live, Preece wrote that the Young was part of a back four that ‘performed superbly’ against Leicester and is ‘expected’ to start once again.

Targett, he says, is set to be named amongst the substitutes.

Elsewhere, Preece reckons John McGinn, Marvelous Nakamba and Douglas Luiz will start in midfield, with Jacob Ramsey, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia forming the frontline.

The verdict

How good was Young against Leicester? Well he couldn’t match the SofaScore rating of opposite full-back Matty Cash or two-goal centre-half Ezri Konsa (both 8.2), but he did still pick up a solid 7.0.

The 36-year-old impressively won seven of the 10 ground duels he contested and also recorded two clearances and one block, showing good defensive instincts and bite in the tackle.

Gerrard may hope that he can offer more offensively when called upon – he didn’t create a chance against the Foxes and only managed one cross – but that’s a tough ask against title-chasing Liverpool, where that solidity at the back will be crucial.

In other news, Villa have been offered this UCL star.

West Ham are likely to spend big on a new striker in the January transfer window, according to former England striker Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Slight dip for Hammers

David Moyes’ side have enjoyed a superb start to the season, sitting fourth in the Premier League and reaching the last 16 of the Europa League. However, the Hammers have lost back-to-back league games since the international break, suffering defeats away to Wolves and Manchester City.

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This mini-slump needs to come to an end at home to Brighton on Wednesday if the Irons are to avoid slipping out of the top four and scuppering their chances of bettering last season’s sixth-placed finish.

The Latest: Phillips tips new striker to come in

It could be that fresh blood is required to take the team forward in January, as the fixtures come thick and fast and squad depth is tested, especially with European commitments in the early months of 2022 as well.

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips tipped West Ham to sign a big-money striker in order to ease the burden on sole centre-forward Michail Antonio. He said:

“They need to invest in a striker in January. I know there will be plenty of people who argue they don’t need to because they have done very well considering but they haven’t got any backup for [Michail] Antonio.

“When it gets to the second part of the season, the weather changes and the games come thick and fast. Players pick up knows after playing so many games.

“It would be sensible to look at that area to bring someone in. Sign someone who will push and cover for Antonio.

“I know Kretinsky has said there won’t be lots of spending but I’m sure there will be money available. If David Moyes goes and says, ‘I’ve identified a player who can come in and challenge in that area.’ Then the club will back him.

“Why wouldn’t they considering what he has done and where they are? They could potentially finish in the Champions League spots.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they went out and splashed £20-25million to bring in competition for that area.”

The Verdict: Would be a wise decision

It could be a grave error if another striker doesn’t come in at West Ham during the January window, potentially costing the Hammers dearly both domestically and in Europe.

As Phillips has said, it is unfair to rely too much on Antonio, who has had injury problems in the past and is now 31 years of age. The Jamaican’s form has also tailed off significantly since a sublime start to the season.

Basel striker Arthur Cabral is someone who has been linked with a move to east London and he could be perfect, offering Moyes an extra option who’s young and in red-hot form, having scored 14 Swiss Super League goals already this season.

In other news, West Ham have been linked with signing a Premier League player in January. Find out who it is here.

Carlton Palmer has offered his thoughts on how much he thinks Aston Villa wiould need to pay for James Ward-Prowse…

What’s the talk?

Palmer has suggested that it will take an offer of up to £40m from Aston Villa to land Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse this summer.

He told Transfer Tavern:

“I think an offer of £35million or £40million will get him out of Southampton but they will have to pay over the odds for players because people know they have this money. That’s unfortunate.

“Ideally, Aston Villa would have liked to have done their business before the offer for Grealish.”

Villa captain Jack Grealish is poised to sign for Manchester City and The Daily Mail have named the Saints skipper, Ward-Prowse, as one of the club’s targets to strengthen the squad.

Better than Luiz

Johan Lange must seal a deal for Ward-Prowse if the figures Palmer mentioned are accurate, as he could be a sublime addition to Dean Smith’s squad. He is a proven Premier League performer and someone who could arrive and hit the ground running, rather than a signing from abroad who could need time to settle.

Douglas Luiz and John McGinn were Villa’s preferred central midfield partnership and Lange could improve upon the former by adding the England international to the team before the end of the window.

Defensively, Ward-Prowse was slightly more active than the Brazilian. The Saints man averaged 4.5 tackles, interceptions and clearances per game, whilst Luiz averaged 4.0 per game. In terms of ball recoveries and ground duel success rate, the £40m-rated man also came out on top.

Offensively, there was not even a competition between the pair. With the caveat that he played an extra five matches, Ward-Prowse managed 311 more forward passes, 41 more chances created, eight more goals and five more assists whilst also completing a higher percentage of his passes – per Squawka.

At the end of last season, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl hailed Ward-Prowse as “outstanding” and pointed out that he will be important to the long-term future of the club.

The Austrian told the Daily Echo: “It’s not surprising for me, a player who played every minute this season is unbelievable.

“His physicality and his performances are outstanding. That’s our captain on the pitch and he is on the way that he is a very important player for this club for the long-term, I think.”

These comments from Hasenhuttl and the aforementioned statistics suggest that the £75k-per-week beast could be an upgrade on Luiz, as he has shown that he is better defensively and offensively than the ex-Manchester City man whilst playing in the same division.

If Palmer’s estimated fee is correct, Villa should stump it up and get the England international to Villa Park.

AND in other news, Villa preparing bid for “magical” 21y/o wing wizard, he’d excite the fans…

Paddy Kenny has made an enticing Newcastle United claim involving former manager Rafa Benitez.

The Lowdown: Benitez to Everton?

As per The Times, Benitez has held further talks with Everton over the vacant manager’s job left by Carlo Ancelotti, and remains in pole position to become their next coach.

However, Liam Kennedy, who has been following the Magpies takeover saga closely, has also claimed that Benitez is wanted by the potential owners-in-waiting to return to St. James’ Park, as he helped bring them to the table in the first place.

The Latest: Kenny on Benitez

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny, who is now a pundit after a fine career in English football as a goalkeeper, has claimed that Benitez should be holding out for a job in the North East instead of the Toffees, assuming that the proposed takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group can be pushed through:

“It wouldn’t be the right choice at all, for me.

“It makes more sense to hold out and go to Newcastle over Everton.

“If they do get a takeover, that club will go places because it’s a massive club with passionate fans.

“I’m sure he’d do well at Newcastle again and there wouldn’t be all this hoo-ha about the fans protesting.

“Why have that cloud over you when you’ve got the chance to go to somewhere like Newcastle?”

The Verdict: Hire Benitez

If the takeover bid does eventually go through, then there would be no better man to hire on Tyneside than Benitez.

Many members of the Toon Army have previously called for the Spaniard to come back, and so he would certainly be a popular appointment, and a man that they can rally and get behind.

Benitez also has a vast amount of experience in managing in the Premier League, with both Liverpool and Chelsea in addition to NUFC, and so he should have no problems in handling a likely dramatically increased transfer budget if the takeover was successful.

Nonetheless, if a deal with Everton does fall through, then the 61-year-old will still be available for Newcastle to hire.

In other news, find out what transfer boost Newcastle have been given in pursuit of this Premier League target here!

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts believes now was the time for Serge Aurier to move on.

The £18m-rated 28-year-old recently had his contract terminated by the north London club, leaving him without a team.

Aurier has since been linked with a move to Tottenham’s fierce rivals Arsenal, with Sky Sports reporting that he would consider joining Mikel Arteta’s side.

Such a move could disappoint some Spurs fans given the rivalry between the two London clubs, but Roberts is not one of them, with the ex-England international telling FFC that he would drive Aurier to the Emirates himself.

“He had his time at the football club,” Roberts said. “What makes you laugh is all the papers are putting in there that he’s going to Arsenal. I’ll drive him! I don’t mind.”

Even after Aurier’s departure, Tottenham look well covered in that right-back position.

They brought in Emerson Royal from Barcelona and still have Matt Doherty in the ranks after signing the Irishman from Wolves last summer.

Nuno Espirito Santo also has the versatile Japhet Tanganga to call upon, who can also play at right-back, so Aurier is certainly a player the Portuguese manager could afford to let go.

West Brom centre-back Dara O’Shea’s current injury situation remains unknown, according to reliable journalist Steve Madeley.

The Lowdown: O’Shea suffers injury

The Baggies have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, sitting second in the Championship after picking up 13 points from their opening five games.

O’Shea has been an ever-present in that time, playing every minute of action, but he suffered an injury in the Republic of Ireland’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal on Wednesday night.

The Latest: Madeley provides update

West Brom are no doubt sweating over the news, but taking to Twitter on Thursday, The Athletic‘s Madeley simply offered a two-word update, revealing they are yet to find out the severity:

“Nothing yet.”

This likely means they are waiting on the results of a scan, which could be a concern given his importance at the Hawthorns.

The Verdict: Huge player for Baggies

The hope is that O’Shea’s injury is not too serious and that he will be back for next weekend’s Championship clash with Millwall at the Hawthorns.

The 22-year-old has averaged 2.4 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game in the league so far this season, outlining his defensive brilliance.

If O’Shea ends up being absent for an extended period of time, he could be a huge loss for Valerien Ismael’s side, as they look for a swift return to the Premier League.

In other news, a journalist has given his thoughts on West Brom’s interest in one player. Read more here.

Lee Ryder has shared some insight from Mike Ashley on the Premier League (PL) and their chances of winning both Newcastle United takeover cases.

The Lowdown: CAT starts Friday

According to Ryder, the club’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) starts this Friday, with the PL yet to respond to Ashley’s anti-competition claim against them with regards to their decision-making process in the failed deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The separate arbitration case against the PL is set to take place in July, as Ryder has shared Ashley’s latest stance in terms of how confident he is going into both of them.

The Latest: Ashley’s latest stance

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the journalist shared that the message still remains from those close to Ashley that he feels as if the PL cannot win either of the cases.

The chief executive of Sports Direct is seemingly very confident that Newcastle will come out of the legal battle with the results that they want, which is certainly fighting talk ahead of the CAT on Friday.

The Verdict: Confidence promising

Reports that Ashley is seemingly so confident that Newcastle will come out on top is certainly promising going into both cases. A positive result could push the proposed takeover one step closer to its potential revival, but a lot of work still has to be done yet.

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Given the timing of both cases, it seems unlikely that they will have much impact on the summer transfer window, for if the consortium are eventually successful in their takeover bid, then the Magpies may have to wait until January to see what calibre of players they could attract.

The legal battle promises to be an intriguing showdown, and the results should certainly paint a much clear picture as to the direction of where the potential takeover is heading.

In other news, find out what Premier League insight Mark Douglas has shared amid the takeover saga here!

West Ham United have long been recognised as one of the frontrunners in youth development, earning themselves the nickname of the ‘Academy of Football’ in the process.

From the days of producing Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand – among others – right the way through to the present with the likes of Declan Rice, there has seemingly been an endless conveyor belt of talent streaming out of the youth ranks and into the Hammers first team.

One young starlet who has joined that illustrious list over the past few years is versatile full-back Ben Johnson, the 22-year-old having shone since making his senior debut back in 2018.

While he made just a handful of appearances across his first two campaigns in the first-team set-up, he has since gone to enjoy much more regular game time over the past couple of seasons, having now made 53 appearances for the club in all competitions.

The current campaign has proven a particular turning point for the home-grown star – who was voted the club’s Young Player of the Year last season – as he has often slotted in ahead of Vladimir Coufal at right-back, both domestically and in the Europa League.

Such displays have piqued the interest of those at international level, with the £2.5k-per-week ace having been handed his England U21 debut earlier this year in a 3-0 victory over Albania, while he also earned praise from his club boss, with Moyes dubbing him a “utility player” for his ability to slot in at different positions.

Being seen as a jack of all trades but a master of none may at times be a hindrance rather than a help to a player’s career, although the Hammers boss certainly views his versatility as a benefit, with first-team coach Stuart Pearce having also praised the youngster for being a “wonderful professional”.

It is not just within the London Stadium that his talents are being recognised, however, with pundit Paul Robinson labelling the full-back as “absolutely brilliant” earlier this season, with that view having also been echoed by former Hammer, Trevor Sinclair.

Amid an outstanding season for the club as a whole – with European glory still up for grabs – Johnson’s individual showings have also been particularly eye-catching, with the Waltham Forest-born speedster averaging an impressive 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

His willingness to commit to Moyes’ often dogged defensive style is also evident by the fact that he ranks in the top 1% for blocks made among those in his position in Europe’s top five leagues, while he also ranks in the top 10% for clearances made, as per FBref.

The 5 foot 9 defender is clearly a player on the rise, something reflected in his soaring market valuation, with Transfermarkt currently valuing him at £8.1m – a significant increase from his value of £2.7m back in December.

The only problem now is ensuring that his future remains in east London with the player having reportedly rejected a new six-and-a-half-year deal earlier this season, albeit with the club managing to trigger a two-year contract extension to avoid losing him for nothing this summer.

Much like West Ham’s form, the starlet’s value and performances continue to soar – it remains to be seen if that progression will continue with his current club, or elsewhere.

In other news, West Ham plot bid to sign £25.2m-rated “great talent”, he’s a big Ogbonna upgrade – opinion