Charlton Athletic are showing interest in signing Liverpool midfielder Pedro Chirivella on loan for the rest of the season, as reported by London News Online.

It is suggested that there could be a struggle for the Addicks to bring him in, with Liverpool looking to tie the 22-year-old down to a new deal before allowing him to leave, as his current one runs out at the end of the season.

In addition, the Reds’ replay against Shrewsbury Town means that he is likely to be utilised by Jurgen Klopp’s side for the game.

While the loan signing is far from a certainty, if Charlton are able to pull it off then it could be a brilliant piece of business from the club, as he would be an ideal partner for Josh Cullen in Lee Bowyer’s midfield.

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The Republic of Ireland international can be all-action in his style, as signified by the fact that he averages 1.8 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 1.5 clearances, 1.4 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per Championship game.

That style of play could allow Chirivella to sit slightly deeper and dictate play with his passing quality, as signified by his pass success rate of 90% in the Carabao Cup. All the while, Cullen could be allowed more freedom.

The effectiveness of this could also be seen in Liverpool’s recent FA Cup draw against Shrewsbury, for the game’s opening goal, when he broke the lines with a pinpoint pass for Curtis Jones, which allowed the teenager to take a touch and slot it into the corner without breaking his stride.

He does also make a defensive contribution, winning 1 tackle, 1 interception and 1.3 duels per game.

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There may be a concern over the lack of experience the pairing would provide, as Cullen and Chirivella are 23 and 22 years old respectively.

However, when looking at their profiles, it can be suggested that the pair could work very well together.

Meanwhile, Charlton have joined the battle for an experienced Championship man.

Sheffield Wednesday suffered their fifth defeat in six league outings on Tuesday night, but during the match, fans were hit with a fresh slice of transfer news.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, the Owls are set to sign Parma winger Alessio Da Cruz on loan with the news emerging right before kickoff at Wigan Athletic.

Garry Monk’s side went on to lose 2-1 after Jamal Lowe snatched a point from their grasp in the 90th minute.

Sheffield Star reporter Dom Howson has since confirmed the interest in Da Cruz and expects an announcement to be made imminently.

As a result of this latest revelation, fans have been responding in their droves as the club finally appear to be doing business ahead of Friday’s 11pm deadline, although that elusive new striker still evades them.

Here’s what they have been saying…

Some supporters saw the potential in the deal with one comparing it to summer signing Julian Borner, suggesting that it could be ‘another gem signing.’

Da Cruz’s pace, passion and flair were also noted by further members of the Hillsborough faithful after it was revealed that he would be arriving with plenty of baggage – three red cards this season as well as spats with fellow teammates.

Although not everyone was pleased with it…

In fact, the vast majority were particularly negative about the Dutchman as one supporter labelled him a “hot head” who isn’t what the club needed.

A couple of other fans were underwhelmed by the news with one claiming that one or two new players aren’t going to fix the squad.

There was also a shout for the season being over whilst that member of the Hillsborough faithful also suggested that these sorts of deals tend to be more miss than hit.

Plenty of others used the revelation as a reason to take a swipe at the rest of the Owls squad.

Some wanted to see more signings, even if they were from the ‘dog and duck’ league whilst others wanted the 23-year-old to go straight into this weekend’s starting XI vs Millwall.

One supporter even said he would drive Jordan Rhodes back to Scotland.

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And in other news, Dom Howson delivers promising Sheffield Wednesday transfer update…

Drama is never far away from Leeds United.

The latest news emerging from Elland Road is that the Whites’ Director of Football and head of media relations have been handed a one-game stadium ban for improper conduct during the Yorkshire club’s game against Millwall in late January.

The main problem was the fact that Victor Orta and James Mooney took issue with the standard of officiating in the game as Leeds found themselves 2-0 down at half-time.

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To be fair, Darren England’s performance at Elland road wasn’t one he’d be too proud of.

He made a clear error in the build-up for the Lions’ second goal as the ball seemed to go out for a throw-in just prior to Millwall winning a penalty, and he also awarded a goal kick when it was clear that a corner should have been given.

Some fans weren’t too happy about the news that Mooney and Orta had been penalised, stating that the referee should have received some sort of punishment.

In true Leeds fashion, a number of other supporters were quick to accuse the football league of corruption, even though it was the FA who made this call.

Another section of the fanbase were quite happy to see Orta banned as they seemingly aren’t huge fans of the Spaniard.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa may have just handed one Leeds youngster a massive lifeline.

Lee Ryder has hinted that Matty Longstaff would accept a weekly wage of £25,000 a week to stay at Newcastle.

What’s the story?

As it stands, the 19-year-old has less than six months left on his contract at Newcastle, and he has even been linked with a move to either Inter Milan or AC Milan.

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However, not only has Ryder said that interest is “nothing more than observation of the contract situation unravelling quickly on Tyneside”, he has revealed that Longstaff would have accepted “even half” of the “around £50,000 per week” Boubakary Soumare may have taken home had he made the switch to St James’ Park.

Not too much considering his impact

Longstaff may only be new to the side, but he has already made an impact on Steve Bruce’s side in defensive midfield. Despite playing in a deeper role in a team that has averaged just 39.4% per Premier League game so far this term, he has managed three goals in 11 appearances to date.

It is worth asking how Newcastle have even allowed this situation to arise – here is a player who is clearly talented, yet they are in danger of letting him go for free. Considering he is already a part of the first-team squad, that salary would not be too high considering that 15 players in that first-team squad currently earn more than £25,000-a-week.

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Time is ticking, and Newcastle really must look to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Bruce is actually doing a good job in terms of results on Tyneside – they are currently 12th in the Premier League table, whilst they are also through to the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2006. Whilst the football may have been disappointing at times – they have averaged just 9.9 shots per game this term, the second-worst in the top flight – a bit more investment may make this team more exciting. Keeping players like Longstaff, though, is vital to the side’s development – they should give him exactly what he wants.

Meanwhile, Valentino Lazaro’s agent reveals his stance on staying permanently at Newcastle.

Queens Park Rangers Director of Football Les Ferdinand has been speaking about the contract extensions of Ryan Manning and Bright Osayi-Samuel, as reported by the club’s official channels.

What did he say?

The two QPR men have signed contract extensions that will keep them at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium until the summer of 2021.

This is definitely an encouraging sign for the club, as it means that they will have the 22 and 23-year-old at the club for a longer period, meaning they will be able to command a fee if either of them are to leave in the summer.

However, Ferdinand has insisted the club won’t be resting on their laurels after announcing the extensions: “Exercising the option to extend the deals of Ryan and Bright is recognition of how well they have done for us over the past three years.

“They have both worked incredibly hard to become important members of Mark Warburton’s squad, and as such they are valuable assets to QPR.

“When you are signing young players the contracts need to be long enough to protect the club while not too long that they can potentially take away their incentive to progress.

“The extra one-year option which we have triggered gives us that ability to do both. We will be continuing discussions with Ryan and Bright as we look to extend their deals further.”

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Important step

QPR managing to get even longer on the pair’s contracts would make things even better for the club, because as it stands, they will still have their hands tied slightly if a club comes in for them in the summer.

Considering their relative ages and the performances they have put in, that eventuality is certainly a possibility.

Manning has made 28 Championship starts this campaign, scoring one goal and assisting five, while averaging 0.9 dribbles and 2 key passes per game. He has also been solid defensively, making 2.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game.

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Osayi-Samuel has started 22 times and come off the bench on a further three occasions, scoring five goals and assisting another four. His threat is also outlined by the fact that he averages 1.2 key passes and 2.8 dribbles per game.

If QPR are able to keep these two at the KPF Stadium for a longer period of time then it will undoubtedly be positive for them. Ferdinand must hope they put pen to paper beyond their current extensions.

Meanwhile, one man has shown he can help solve QPR’s big issue.

Pablo Fornals may have not been on the pitch much since David Moyes took over as West Ham United manager, but he made his presence known when he did.

The Spaniard has started just three of the eight games that the Scotsman has been in charge of, while there has been a downward spiral for him in the three games before the Liverpool clash, which culminated in not even making the bench against Manchester City.

This led to fans showing their support for the 24-year-old on Twitter, using #FreeFornals when the starting lineup for the match at Anfield was announced.

He ended up replacing Tomas Soucek in the 47th minute, when the Czech Republic international was forced off through injury, and went on to provide one of the game’s biggest moments, getting on the end of Declan Rice’s cross to score the goal that made the score 2-1.

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The Spaniard posted on Instagram to thank the fans for their support, something he elaborated on during an interview with the club’s official website: “When I scored, I wanted to go to our fans. Every single day, they support me. They want me to always play and I want to pay that back with goals and good performances. That’s how I can say ‘Thank you’. It’s amazing to look at my social media and see how the fans support me.”

His support does not stop with the fans, as Brentford winger and fellow Spaniard Sergi Canos commented #freefornals on the picture.

Fornals’ original Instagram post and Canos’ reply can be seen below:

Meanwhile, Jeremy Ngakia posted on Instagram after his Liverpool display.

Micah Richards joined BBC’s Football Daily podcast and talked about Liverpool possibly making a comeback against Atletico Madrid with Fabinho coming in for Jordan Henderson.

Losing someone as important as Henderson to an injury was always going to be a big blow, especially with a huge Champions League clash on the horizon in just a couple of weeks’ time. Still, Liverpool shouldn’t be too worried about that, says Richards, as Fabinho can come in and replace their skipper for the upcoming game at Anfield, where every team is bound to struggle.

Here’s what he said for the Football Daily podcast (26/2/2020): “Losing Henderson was a little bit of a blow for them but they’ve got Fabinho who can come in. So I believe going to Anfield, for any team, it’s going to be difficult. I believe they can overturn that tie.”

The Reds’ skipper has so far only missed the game against West Ham due to his hamstring injury but James Pearce noted when speaking to the Red Agenda that the Merseyside giants appeared to lack control in the midfield engine room without him.

With that in mind, Fabinho is the only player who made more passes in the Hammers game than Henderson averages per game this season (76 to 62.4) and he did make as many interceptions (1) as the ex-Sunderland man does on average over the same period, so the stats suggest he can fulfil that role – even if they are weaker in terms of personnel.

Liverpool fans, do you think that Fabinho is a worthy replacement for Henderson? Is the Liverpool captain going to be a huge miss for the upcoming games? Tell us down in the comment section below!

West Ham United fans have hailed Michail Antonio’s performance against Southampton on Saturday.

The Hammers beat Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men 3-1 at the London Stadium to record their first victory in seven Premier League games.

It moved the Irons clear of the relegation zone at full-time and Antonio was a key component of the victory.

The 29-year-old scored his side’s third goal of the game and also laid on the assist for Sebastien Haller’s strike that gave the hosts the lead.

And fans were quick to praise his performance.

A number of other supporters believe that the Irons have finally found a proper attacking partnership in Antonio and Haller, with manager David Moyes allowing the former the freedom to surge beyond the Saints’ backline.

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One feels that they will need that partnership to keep clicking given the club’s fixture list; they face Arsenal, Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in their next four games.

Antonio has often been absent from the squad this season – missing 14 games as a result – but has chipped in with two goals and two assists thus far this term.

Meanwhile, West Ham fans have hailed one youngster!

Alan Hutton joined BBC’s Football Daily podcast to discuss Aston Villa’s incredible collapse at the hands of Leicester City and used the opportunity to give his former manager, Dean Smith, a piece of advice.

The Villains’ trip to the King Power Stadium did not really go according to plan as the Foxes managed to slot four goals into their nets with absolutely no reply to seal a pretty impressive victory. The former Aston Villa defender Hutton believes Smith should be extremely harsh with his players and tell them some home truths if needs be because this level is just not acceptable.

Here’s what he said for BBC’s Football Daily podcast (10/3/2020): “I think he needs to tell some people some home truths probably, because that’s not good enough. It’s not good enough to stay in this league”

The Villains are currently struggling to get out of the relegation zone and have also lost their last five games across all competitions, including four Premier League defeats and one in the EFL Cup final. With that in mind, it’s hard to argue that Hutton, who played 22 times (per Transfermarkt) under the former Brentford boss, is right to criticise his former side.

Needless to say, the clock is ticking and they will have to improve rapidly if they are to stay in the league given their perilous position.

Aston Villa fans, do you agree with Hutton’s harsh verdict? Do you think your team can stay up? Let us know down in the comments below!

It has been a turbulent season for Arsenal.

They have already seen one change in manager, with Unai Emery relieved of his duties and the inexperienced Mikel Arteta coming in to replace him. The performances really haven’t been up to the required standards – they are currently in ninth place in the League, eight points behind Chelsea who occupy the last of those four Champions League qualification spots.

The emergence of Bukayo Saka, though, has been one of the main positives to take from this campaign. He has become an important member of the Gunners’ squad, starting 10 of the last 12 games in the Premier League, and his rise has been reflected in his Transfermarkt value. At the start of the campaign, he didn’t even have one, but it is now at £19.8m, which includes an £8.1m increase since December of last year.

Here, we take a look at three key factors influencing this surge…

Stunning Frankfurt performance

Saka did make three appearances last season, making his full debut against Qarabag in the Europa League, but it was in the very first game of this year’s edition of that competition where he made his mark. Playing against Eintracht Frankfurt – the German side reached the semi-finals of the tournament during the 2018/19 campaign – he scored once and provided two assists in a 3-0 victory.

The 18-year-old was in stupendous form. He also managed five key passes, whilst he completed three of his attempted six dribbles to boot. That display saw him start the very next match, against Aston Villa, and from then on he has been a regular member of matchday squad.

Shift to left-back

That match against the Bundesliga outfit saw him feature on the left-wing, but that is a position that is already overloaded with options. Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson have already featured there this term, as has Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the club’s current top goalscorer – Saka was always going to have his work cut out displacing all of that group, irregardless his talent.

Freddie Ljungberg’s spell as caretaker-manager was short, but it gave him enough time to make one important decision – moving the teenager to left-back. With Kieran Tierney out injured and Sead Kolasinac continuing to fail to make an impression, Saka has made the position his own. Following the switch, Arsenal have lost just two of the 12 matches he has played in that position in the league. It hasn’t put an end to his attacking contribution, either – he has one goal and four assists in 15 matches in that role overall.

Liverpool interest/new contract

As it stands, Saka has just over one year left on his contract, meaning that he could negotiate with other sides before he even turns 20. There has been plenty of interest in his services, as well, with both Manchester United and Liverpool, the Premier League leaders, mentioned. Bayern Munich, too, are believed to have been keeping an eye on him.

That has led to the Emirates outfit pushing “extremely hard” to secure him to a new five-year deal. He currently earns £3,000-a-week, but the Gunners want to offer him a contract worth £35,000 every seven days. That is obviously a huge increase, and it shows just how desperate his current employers are to make sure he continues to blossom with them rather than elsewhere.