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Liverpool could be about to miss out on one of their attacking targets in this transfer window, according to reports.

With two years left on his current contract, Anderlecht’s Jeremy Doku has attracted plenty of interest from the Merseysiders in recent months, with the Belgian outfit not keen on doing business with the Premier League champions, as per Het Nieuwsblad (via talkSPORT).

Having won their first league title in 30 years last season, not only are the Reds looking to retain their crown but also build their squad for the future.

Sadio Mane is 29 years old next year, and it appears that Jurgen Klopp may have identified the 18-year-old as a possible replacement in the future.

But the German tactician may be disappointed, as Foot Mercato (via TEAMTalk) revealed that the Ligue 1 side Rennes have placed a significant bid on the table for the young Belgian, despite HLN suggesting that Anderlecht are keen to offer him a new contract.

The offer from the French club comes from the funds that they generated from selling Edouard Mendy to Chelsea, which may delay Liverpool’s approach for the time being as they will monitor his development.

It would be a shock if Liverpool were to bring Doku to Anfield this summer, and they would likely have to pay a large sum of money to secure his services after the hint that the Anderlecht CEO Karel van Eetvelt dropped recently.

After spending over £60m on both Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota combined, it doesn’t look likely that the Reds will be spending big again, despite the shrewd negotiating skills of Michael Edwards.

His fellow countryman and PFA Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne is a big fan of Doku’s, recently describing him as a “rough diamond”, which is high praise from such a talented player.

That being said, it wouldn’t rule the Premier League champions out from dipping into the market in the future for him. But if he keeps performing on a good enough level, they are bound to have competition for his signature.

Liverpool fans! What are your thoughts on Jeremy Doku? Should Liverpool try and sign him? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Antonio Rudiger has admitted he helped convince Timo Werner to snub Liverpool and join Chelsea instead.

In a recent interview with Chelsea TV, the defender revealed he was in contact with his international teammate throughout the process of the move. Werner looked sold on joining Liverpool, especially after he said he would be a ‘good fit’ for Jurgen Klopp’s system.

However, in a shock swoop, the Blues announced that they had poached the 24-year-old star for themselves. He will link up with the club next month after forfeiting his place in RB Leipzig’s Champions League run in order to do so.

“I did speak to him before because we have known each other for a long time,” Rudiger told the club. “We spoke a lot during the lockdown and he told me he was interested in coming to England. Of course then I did my bit, what I had to do.”

Werner has penned a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge and will look to assist Frank Lampard in his battle for another Premier League title next season.

“I hope he adapts very quickly when he comes because as we all know this competition is different than others,” Rudiger continued. His former Stuttgart teammate has tallied an extremely impressive 26 goals in his 32 Bundesliga appearances and a total of 32 goals in 44 games across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

As it stands, Chelsea could qualify for Champions League football with their current fourth-placed position in the Premier League. With the additions of Werner and recent signing Hakim Ziyech, the Blues could really make a statement in the 2020/21 season.

Where do you think Chelsea will finish next campaign, Blues fans? Have your say in the comments below!

Recently-released Portsmouth striker Oli Hawkins has admitted that he would like to return to the city when his playing days come to an end.

The 2019/20 season ended in disappointment for Pompey, losing to Oxford United on penalties in the play-off semi-finals and narrowly missing out on promotion to the Championship for the second year running.

With next season now the focus, manager Kenny Jackett will look to make several changes to his squad and one of those could be to find a suitable replacement for Hawkins, who saw his contract come to an end in June.

Hawkins arrived at Portsmouth in 2017 and the Ealing-born striker netted 18 goals in 95 games for Pompey up until the end of this season. During his time at the club, he has also acted as a stand-in defender and scored the winning penalty against Sunderland in the 2019 EFL Trophy final at Wembley.

He told The News: ‘In three years at the club, I was able to buy a home, have a baby, get a dog and score at Wembley.

‘I didn’t let myself down and reached the play-offs twice – I look back in a positive way.‘The biggest positive of all is I love the city and will probably move back down here eventually. I will miss this place a lot.‘When I found out I’m not going to be here anymore, I had a sinking feeling. I realised I’d be moving away.‘We lived in Emsworth and then bought property in Horndean. We really fell in love with the area. We still have a home here, so if we wanted to one day live down here again we can.‘Even though I am a London boy and love London, it has been a breath of fresh air to get out and about and see the sea. I really enjoy the walks and you can’t really beat the weather on a good day. It’s such a great place.’Hawkins’ exit comes as a number of clubs in League One and League Two including Portsmouth weigh up transfer moves with the English Football League looking to implement a salary cap.

It was a strange one to see Hawkins leaving Portsmouth, especially given that he was very much a man of the club and the city, judging by his comments.

With financial restrictions coming into place, it remains to be seen if Jackett will find an adequate replacement for Hawkins before next season begins.

Do you think Portsmouth should have renewed Hawkins’ deal? Let us know in the comments section below…

This week Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with their first ‘swap deal’ ahead of a new landscape in the transfer market this summer.

It remains to be seen just how bad the pandemic has affected finances in football, but the Evening Standard reported that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho would be mainly limited to free transfers and deals that didn’t involve hefty fees.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the north Londoners could look to deal both Danny Rose and Serge Aurier to Serie A outfit Juventus in return for fellow full-backs Alex Sandro and Mattia De Sciglio.

This could well be a sign of things to come as strange as it seems now.

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Rose is currently out on loan to Newcastle United whilst Aurier has been a frequent presence under Mourinho this campaign, featuring 24 times since he took the reins in November.

Meanwhile, Sandro appears to be Mauricio Sarri’s first-choice left-back having played 22 league games this term – De Sciglio has barely featured at all this term, via WhoScored.

Here’s how the Spurs faithful have been reacting to the reported transfer plan…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react as Dennis Cirkin report emerges…

Xherdan Shaqiri has been listed amongstÂthe names linked to a move away from Anfield this summer.

According to a Daily Mail report from Dominic King (relayed via @AnfieldEdition), the Switzerland international will be departing the club in the upcoming transfer window. He will reportedly command a ‘substantial fee’, with Newcastle interested in acquiring his services.

Shaqiri joined the Reds in 2018 from a relegated Stoke City after activating his £13million release clause (via BBC Sport). Since his arrival, he has scored seven goals and assisted five, including a crucial assist against Barcelona in last season’s Champions League semi-final.

However, despite some impressive performances, Jurgen Klopp’s plans don’t have space for the winger and he will likely be moving on this summer. Liverpool fans aren’t impressed with the news and many have taken to Twitter to air their frustrations.

One Reds supporter thinks letting Shaqiri leave without signing a replacement is ‘a huge mistake’, whilst another has commented the club is ‘weakening our squad’ through letting the attacker leave.

How do you feel about Xherdan Shaqiri leaving the club, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Celtic fans were left drooling over the performance of young Jeremie Frimpong on Saturday afternoon.

The 18-year-old was one of the star men as Neil Lennon’s side comfortably beat Livingstone 4-0.

Goals from Odsonne Edouard, Scott Brown and a double courtesy of James Forrest ensured the Hoops went home with all three points.

On another day, Frimpong might have had a couple of goals himself but he did play a part in Forrest’s opening strike. He tested Livi’s ‘keeper before the winger fired home the rebound.

The Dutchman’s performance was full of attacking energy and supporters couldn’t help but rave about him at the full-time whistle.

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Two fans compared him to the recently departed Kieran Tierney as his composure was hailed by one individual. A further supporter labelled him phenomenal while another suggested he’d already cemented his place in the side.

Frimpong has played just three times in the Scottish Premiership this season but that number is likely to rise significantly after this display.

Signed from Manchester City in the summer, he looked more than assured in attacking phases.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Leeds United fans are loving their midfielder Kalvin Phillips even more after his heartwarming gesture on Sunday afternoon.

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The 24-year-old has been pictured laying down a wreath of flowers underneath a plaque dedicated to Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight who tragically lost their lives in Istanbul 20 years to the day.

Phillips and his Whites teammates have been forced to train from home and in isolation as the current pandemic has put pay to any action on the training pitch let alone at Elland Road.

But the Thorp Arch academy graduate clearly has deep ties to the club as shown with this classy gesture – taking time out of his day as well as leaving the safety of his home to pay his respects.

And the Leeds faithful have been lapping it up on social media.

Here’s just some of their reaction…

AND in other news, Former reject left Leeds for free, now is worth £20 MILLION+… 

Well, it would be fair to say that the Southampton fans were not best pleased with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s use of Moussa Djenepo against Everton.

The 21-year-old, who joined the Saints from Standard Liege over the summer, featured at left wing-back against the Toffees on Saturday afternoon.

And a number of the club’s supporters have taken to social media to blast Hasenhuttl’s decision to select the attacker in that area of the field in the second half of the contest.

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Danny Ings cancelled out an early strike from Tom Davies to leave the two teams on terms heading into the latter stages of the match.

However, Richarlison’s strike decided the game, with the Brazil international netting in the 75th minute to secure a 2-1 win for Everton.

According to WhoScored, Djenepo – moved to wing-back after Cedric Soares was substituted – did not actually make a single tackle during his 90 minutes on the field, although he did complete two successful dribbles.

It proved to be another disappointing afternoon for the club, however, and the Southampton fans were furious with where Djenepo was selected, as shown by the tweets below:

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent believes that Tottenham Hotspur could “take” Xherdan Shaqiri if he became available, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

Shaqiri has played just 11 minutes in the Premier League this season and Football Insider have previously reported that he could look to leave the club in the summer.

And Bent believes that Spurs would be open to snapping him up, with Shaqiri having scored six goals and registered five assists in 30 outings last term.

He said: “I think Arsenal would probably take him, Manchester City nope, Chelsea nope, Spurs may potentially take him as well.

“I think there will be no shortage of takers so he has nothing to fear about that.”

The kind of player Spurs might need

Shaqiri is an option in attack but, at Liverpool, he is behind the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. It’s understandable that he isn’t forcing his way into Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI, while injury issues have also cost him.

Thus far this season, the Reds have won 11 games and drawn one and sit eight points clear at the top of the table; one has to imagine that Shaqiri faces a difficult task in getting back into the Anfield line-up.

At Spurs, though, Mauricio Pochettino has just Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura to call upon on the right-hand side.

To that point, he has even played Christian Eriksen on that flank once this term, and Shaqiri has a familiarity with the position, playing there 150 times throughout his career.

Bringing Shaqiri in, then, would add another dimension to the attack, and could potentially add some dynamism that is currently missing.

The former Stoke City man is left-footed, meaning cutting inside is a genuine option, while he also boasts the pace and power needed to bamboozle defenders.

While he is 28, he could get some regular game time at Spurs and add another string to their attacking bow.

Provided he were available for a decent fee, he could prove to be a bargain.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Journalist Greg O’Keeffe has praised Marco Silva for his determined managerial efforts against West Ham United, claiming the Portuguese arrived at Goodison Park with a different mentality to previous games.

What did he say?

Everton returned to winning ways over the weekend after their impressive 2-0 win over the Hammers. It was indeed the first time Everton looked convincing in the Premier League, having looked far superior to Manuel Pellegrini’s side throughout.

It now means that the Toffees have jumped out of the relegation zone and into 15th on 10 points – the same as Manchester United. O’Keeffe wrote for The Athletic: “Marco Silva arrived at Goodison Park on Saturday morning looking like he meant business.

“He stepped off Everton’s team coach with his head bowed and a steely look in his eyes. He led his team through the players’ entrance and would continue to lead them all afternoon. “

O’Keeffe also touches on how majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri was seen at Goodison Park in what was a rare attendance on Merseyside for him.

Silva picked the perfect time

As Moshiri was watching the game, it seems as if Silva picked the perfect time to show the owner what he can do. Over the international break, it was reported by the Daily Star that the Iranian handed the manager the next three games to save his job.

So, with Moshiri in attendance, it’s fair to say that Silva knocked one of those games down and in convincing fashion as well. Across the pitch, players put in inspiring performances, whilst the boss at the helm was seen to put in a motivational, passionate display from the touchline.

Players who have often struggled surprisingly stepped up for Silva, such as Theo Walcott and Yerry Mina.

The key now for the Everton boss is to build and grow his team. The next two games for 42-year-old are the away trip to Brighton & Hove Albion and the Carabao Cup clash at Goodison Park with Watford. If the former Hornets boss can pick up three points on the south coast and get past his old side in the League Cup, he may well have secured his future on Merseyside, for now at least.

One thing is for certain, regardless of the performance, he must keep up this positive and inspiring attitude that O’Keeffe saw on display.

These characteristics may prove vital in motivating his side.