Liverpool’s squad is full of talent, but injuries have been a bit of a problem for the Reds as of late. In particular, defensive problems have been an issue for the club this season, with players including Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all succumbing to various issues throughout the year.

That’s put some unnecessary strain on the Reds at the back, and given their current position in the Premier League, that is a worry.

Reinforcing this area of the field ahead of a title challenge, then, makes sense, and a move for Nathan Ake – who, according to the Sun, is a target of Chelsea – might be an ideal option for the Reds.

Ake has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Premier League (PL) over the last year or so since his move from Chelsea, having helped to solidify the defence of the south coast outfit.

Strong in the air, comfortable in the tackle and great with the ball at his feet, the agile Ake has very few weaknesses to his game, and he’s getting better every single week.

Furthermore, his versatility – he’s able to play at centre-back and left-back – means that the reportedly impending departure of Alberto Moreno would be less of a worry, with Ake able to fill in behind Andy Robertson if required.

Ake is a great footballer, and he’s a very modern defender, and so he wouldn’t be out of place in the very talented and technically gifted Liverpool defence. He wouldn’t be cheap, especially given Chelsea’s interest, but a move makes a lot of sense.

Thoughts?

According to The Sun, Everton are lining up a transfer for 25-year-old Espanyol striker Borja Iglesias. 

The forward has already scored nine goals in 19 La Liga appearances this season, and has a £25m buyout clause in his contract.

In this day and age, £25m is quite a small fee for a striker that is only 25, and Everton should not hesitate to make this move. Only four people have scored more goals than the Spaniard, and that list includes Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, so he is in very good company.

Signing a high-level striker is good for any club at the best of times, but it is particularly crucial that Everton make this signing before the transfer window is up.

So far, The Toffees have been linked with a number of players, however, they have rarely been linked with a striker. This is despite the fact that this is probably the area which needs addressing most urgently at Goodison Park.

The arrival of Cenk Tosun last January has proven to be a disaster, and has left Everton in the cold ever since. Richarlison has been fashioned into a striker this season, but the Brazilian is much more adept on the wing. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has also been called upon, but he is still perhaps too much of a novice to be relied upon.

Therefore, the recruitment of Iglesias is an indication that Everton are aware of their greatest weakness and are addressing it this January, and this could revive their stuttering season.

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As reported by The Guardian, Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund are preparing to smash their transfer record to bring Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha to the club, as they seek a replacement for Chelsea-bound Christian Pulisic.

If talks commence further in regards to a possible summer move, the Eagles will reportedly demand upwards of £50m for their prize asset who cost them just £3m after buying him back from Manchester United, per The Guardian.

Zaha is said to be keen to play Champions League football, so a move could go ahead if Palace and Dortmund come to an agreement. If so, the south Londoners will have a huge cash windfall come their way, and will need to spend it wisely in order to replace the Ivory Coast international and strengthen the team elsewhere.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

So, Football FanCast looks into three signings the club should make to use the funds to full effect…

Allan Saint-Maximin 

If there’s any player in Europe that comes close to comparing with Zaha’s pace, skill, adventure and daring style of play, then it’s OGC Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin. The man has so much swagger to his game that he even took to the field recently against Bordeaux wearing a Gucci headband, and managed to score the winner with it on.

The 21-year-old is five years younger than Zaha, and his five goals in Ligue 1 this season are already two better than the man in question’s three Premier League strikes – he is arguably on par with Zaha in terms of end product right now, and could even have the ceiling to become better than him.

Luka Jovic

As Sky Sports recently reported in their article linking Dominic Solanke with Palace, the Eagles have also been keeping tabs on Eintracht Frankfurt striker Luka Jovic, who looks well on his way to becoming one of Europe’s most prolific goalscorers.

The Serbian has hit 18 goals in all competitions already this season, per Whoscored, and at just 21 years of age, should only improve on that tally year after year.

His stock is remarkably high right now given his age along with his scintillating form, but with the Zaha money in the bank, Palace could tempt him to team up with his fellow countryman Luka Milivojevic at Selhurst Park.

Rodrigo de Paul

Since the departure of Yohan Cabaye back in the summer, Palace have notably lacked a calming but tenacious midfield presence alongside Milivojevic.

Cheikhou Kouyate was bought in from West Ham (as per the BBC), but the Senegalese powerhouse is a wholly different player to Cabaye, and simply adds more steel alongside the Serbian as opposed to a complimentary option.

In Udinese star Rodrigo de Paul, there is a relatively unknown midfielder who can also play further forward, but offers a typical South American bite and creative spark in the middle of the park which would be extremely effective alongside Milivojevic.

Tottenham fans will not look back on January too fondly, as it was a defining month in their season.

In the space of four days, Spurs crashed out of both the League Cup and the FA Cup, meaning they only now have the Premier League and Champions League as a slim hope of achieving silverware this season.

What is worse is that they lost ground in their title chase as they lost to Man United at home at Wembley.

It was also a defining January for Tottenham after the summer transfer window where they infamously did not sign a single player. Fans and pundits alike were speculating whether the same would happen again or Tottenham would open their wallets.

With that in mind, these are the two biggest mistakes Tottenham made this transfer window:

Selling Mousa Dembélé

No Tottenham fan would argue that Mousa Dembélé was in the form of his life when he sustained an ankle injury in November. The Belgian midfielder had just come from a taxing summer with Belgium in the World Cup and looked slightly off the pace. Nonetheless, most Tottenham fans would have believed that he would eventually get back to his best.

But the 31-year-old was sold in January to Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou R&F, which would have baffled many fans.

Of course, the 80-cap Belgium star only had half a season left on his contract and would have therefore left for free in the summer, but given the service that he has given to Tottenham and the fact that he could still play a part in their season, selling him for free at the end of the season may have actually been a better alternative to making money from him in January.

Subsequent injuries to Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier had left Tottenham’s midfield looking very sparse indeed, forcing them to rely on the relatively inexperienced Harry Winks and the 18-year-old Oliver Skipp. Dembélé’s absence was certainly highlighted  during January and perhaps as the season goes on.

Not selling the fringe

Of course it is easy to say that Tottenham failing to sign a player over January was a mistake of theirs, just as it may have been in the summer. With injuries in the squad and fatigue, Tottenham certainly could have done with an extra face.

However, it has long been said that Tottenham need to unload of some of their unwanted players before they can sign anyone new, and that may have been an even greater mistake over the last month.

When thinking of unwanted Tottenham players, Vincent Janssen is probably top of the list. Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear that the Dutchman is not part of his plans and he is unlikely to play this season, particularly now Spurs are out of the FA Cup. Therefore, their inability to sell him not only wastes his career but fails to open up spaces and funds for Tottenham to sign any new players, which could prove to be their greatest error.

According to a recent report from The Newcastle Chronicle, Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff could be set for an international call-up next month. The 21-year-old has impressed greatly in the heart of Rafa Benitez’s midfield in recent weeks to earn many rave reviews from fans and pundits alike, and it appears that things could be set to get even better for the young Englishman.

And that’s because a recent report from The Newcastle Chronicle suggests that Aidy Boothroyd is keeping a close eye on Longstaff’s progression at St James’ Park ahead of a possible England Under-21 call-up next month, which would be just deserts for his remarkable rise in the last few weeks.

And while the 21-year-old deserves credit for the way he has slotted seamlessly into the Newcastle midfield recently, there has to be some questions asked of Benitez as to why he didn’t feature more often in the first half of the season.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the young midfielder has come up through the ranks at St James’ Park having been born just up the road in North Shields, with the 21-year-old impressing greatly for the club’s youth sides to thus earn loan spells at Kilmarnock and Blackpool in years gone by.

And in netting nine times in 45 appearances for the latter last time round in their run to 12th place in League One, the Englishman was slowly but surely beginning to showcase his immense talent in the third tier, only to really step it up this term in the Premier League with Newcastle.

And that’s because the youngster has appeared in each of the Magpies’ last five league matches after earning his Premier League debut for the club on Boxing Day, before bagging his first goal for the North East giants in their FA Cup third round replay victory at Blackburn Rovers last month.

However, it has been recent performances against Manchester City and Tottenham, the second and third place sides in the top-flight, which has underlined Longstaff’s ability as he dominated the midfield against the former and again produced the goods against the latter – he wasn’t overawed by either occasion, and went some way to matching and indeed getting the better of some of the best midfielders in the country.

And that must be of huge encouragement to Newcastle fans given their side have somewhat struggled in that area of the pitch this term, with Jonjo Shelvey somewhat unfancied by Benitez, Isaac Hayden eyeing a move away (as per The Newcastle Chronicle), and Ki Sung-yueng and Mo Diame injured – Benitez needed Longstaff to step up, and he’s done just that.

But what may well be on the minds of some Newcastle fans is why it has taken so long for Benitez to give the 21-year-old a chance – hindsight is a wonderful thing, but looking at how brilliantly he has adapted to the top-flight, he surely could have done a job earlier in the season.

Yes, what’s important is that Longstaff has taken his chance to give Benitez another accomplished option in the midfield, but it’s a remarkable rise that could have come a lot sooner were Benitez willing to give him more a go earlier in the campaign – as such, his rise is somewhat highlighting the error of Benitez’s ways.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Newcastle will know they need to continue performing if they want to fully distance themselves away from the relegation zone.

It’s been another season of ups-and-downs for Rafa Benitez and his team but that comes as no surprise because of the lack of investment in the club during the Mike Ashley era.

That has since changed slightly, now that Newcastle have finally broken their record transfer fee for Miguel Almiron but nevertheless, the Magpies need to do more in the transfer market to improve their league standing.

Goal-scoring has been Newcastle’s problem ever since they returned into the Premier League and that could be solved by linking Almiron with his partner at Atlanta United Josef Martinez.

Martinez, (who is valued at £9 million on Transfermarkt) was a goal-machine in the MLS last season as he recorded 35 goals in 39 outings.

Yes, you could argue that it’s an inferior league to the Premier League but his attributes could allow him to make a good impact in England.

With scintillating pace and an eye for goal, the Venezuelan international would be a huge coup for Newcastle, based on his incredible statistics.

Alongside his fellow countryman Salomon Rondon, the two could form quite the bond at club level, with Martinez using his pace to get in-behind and latch onto Rondon’s knock-downs.

The idea of a two-striker partnership hasn’t been a regular occurrence in the top flight for some time but with those two and Miguel Almiron in behind, goals won’t be such a lunar eclipse at St James’ Park.

Goals are needed to stay in the Premier League and although they seem to be managing it this season, Newcastle have to spend if they want to improve and Josef Martinez is the signing to make.

Do you agree… Let us know!

Southampton have struggled so far this campaign. However, looking at the stats, that really shouldn’t be the case.

On the chalkboard

The Saints are currently in the relegation zone, albeit level on goal difference with 17th-placed Aston Villa. They will face the Villans on Saturday in a match that is likely to have huge implications in the battle for survival.

Considering they are so far down the table, you would expect them to be particularly abject all across the board. If you look at the stats, though, that isn’t the case.

An anomaly

It is in defence that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been at their worst. This season, they have conceded 36 goals, more than any other team in the Premier League, and they even conceded nine in one game against Leicester City.

Watch Chelsea vs Southampton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

However, they are far from the worst team in the league in regards to the number of shots they have faced. They have had 13.7 shots against them per match so far this campaign, which puts them at only eighth on the list. Even fifth-placed Tottenham have come under more pressure than the south-coast side, coming up against 14.5 efforts per fixture. There can be no accusations of a lack of desire either – they have made 19 tackles per match, the fourth-most in the division.

Best of the decade: Quickfire Quiz on the last 10 years of Premier League football

At the other end of the pitch, it is much the same story. Only three sides have scored less than the Saints’ 18, yet they have had the ninth most shots on goal with 12.4 per match. Their 4.2 on target puts them in 12th place – not spectacular, but not that disappointing either. In terms of dribbles, with 11.3 per game, they are in seventh place.

There is not much positivity at St. Mary’s Stadium at the moment, but this should be cause for optimism. Southampton are not performing anywhere near as badly as you would expect, and there is proof that Hasenhuttl is on the right track. With one or two astute signings in January, they can certainly get themselves out of trouble. So don’t worry, Saints fans. There is still hope yet.

In other news, the 52-year-old boss admitted that the Saints struggled with one thing against West Ham.

Manchester United fans went into their game against Watford full of confidence, as they faced the team sitting bottom of the Premier League.

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In addition, they had seen their team go unbeaten in their last six games across all competitions, a run that included victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

To add to that confidence even more, they had the delight of seeing Paul Pogba featured on the bench.

There was plenty of excitement from the United supporters about the Frenchman being on the team sheet, with one fan admitting to having “tears in my eyes”.

This enthusiasm came after the 26-year-old had missed the team’s last 10 Premier League games through an ankle injury.

Having him back will definitely have been seen as a bonus after he made 27 goal contributions last campaign.

Expectations among fans seemed to be that the World Cup winner would be the man to ensure United walked away from Vicarage Road with three points.

When Pogba replaced Jesse Lingard in the 64th minute, he did show quality, making one key pass, getting two shots on target and maintaining a pass success rate of 90%.

He’s a football superstar, but how much do you really know about Paul Pogba? Test your knowledge below…

However, there was to be no “30 yard screamer” and the team came out of the game with a 2-0 loss, following mistakes from David de Gea and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

In other news, one United man has been deemed a talent that refuses to shine.

Leeds did a great job of shifting a lot of their deadwood this summer.

The likes of Yosuke Ideguchi, Vurnon Anita and Caleb Ekuban all finally departed the club for good, but unfortunately, there’s still plenty of unwanted players on the books at Elland Road.

Some are out on loan, while others are rotting in the reserves, but one thing is now certain. Three outcasts at Leeds seemingly have no way back into the first team while Marcelo Bielsa is the manager.

What’s been said then?

Phil Hay wrote an article in The Athletic outlining Leeds’ plans for the January transfer window.

Departures are just as interesting as arrivals at this time of year, and it seems as if Leeds will be trying to shift three players.

“Eunan O’Kane is fit again for a transfer after suffering a badly broken leg on loan at Luton Town in September 2018, and Pawel Cibicki — the misfit Swede who has spent most of 2019 out on loan in Sweden and the Netherlands — is interesting at least one League One side.

“Lewie Coyle’s current loan to Fleetwood Town could become permanent, though near-neighbours and third-tier rivals Blackpool are admirers of his too. None of those three have played for Bielsa and none of them will.”

Real shame

It’s unfortunate that these three players’ fates are already decided.

It can be argued that they may not have the quality needed to thrive under Bielsa given they’ve been shipped out on loan, but some of them have proven that they’re worthy of a chance of proving themselves.

Lewie Coyle can’t have done much more at Fleetwood, winning two Player of the Season awards while also providing five assists in 21 games this term.

Eunan O’Kane has previously proven his quality when gaining promotion with Bournemouth, and he even went on to play in 16 top-flight matches with the Cherries.

Injuries have hampered his career, but freezing him completely out of the squad seems a bit unfair, especially when Leeds have had problems with injuries to midfielders Adam Forshaw, Tyler Roberts and Pablo Hernandez this term.

In other news, Leeds fans have been trying to name their Player of the Decade.

As debuts go, knocking out a Premier League side in the third round of the FA Cup away from home isn’t a bad way to start. Osaze Urhoghide was the surprise name to be included in the line-up for Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon, but the defender rose to the challenge with aplomb.

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Brighton have scored 25 goals this season in the top-flight, with only Aston Villa scoring more amongst sides who find themselves in the bottom half of the table. And yet, Urhoghide stood firm with the rest of his teammates, keeping the Seagulls out, and ensuring that they reached the fourth round of the competition with a 1-0 win.

And after seeing his display, Owls fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the 19-year-old’s debut.

A few Wednesday fans simply insisted that Urhoghide’s display against the Seagulls showed he is already better than the likes of Moses Odubajo and Liam Palmer.

Some supporters urged Monk to keep the faith in the defender, suggesting that he “needs to stay involved” over the course of this campaign.

A couple of fans even suggested that Urhoghide’s performance was so good, he had “pocketed” some of Brighton’s players who tried to take on him down his side.

To make your debut away at a Premier League side wasn’t going to be easy, but the way Wednesday fans have lauded his performance proves just how accomplished he looked against Brighton. And at only 19, he has plenty of time to develop and potentially even nail down a position in the first-team over the coming weeks and months.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday’s chances of success this season could hinge upon doing this in January.